The genomic basis of parasitism in the Strongyloides clade of nematodes

Taisei Kikuchi, Mark Viney, Matthew Berriman and colleagues report the genome sequences of six species of nematodes from the Strongyloides clade of nematodes, including human and animal pathogens, facultative parasites and a free-living species. They find that expansions of the astacin and SCP/TAPS gene families are associated with parasitism in these species.