Institute for Genome Sciences
International Livestock Research Institute
Current News
February 2015
Malaria parasites unlikely to jump from animals to humans
A new study indicates that it is unlikely that Plasmodium species that infect other animals would cross over easily to humans.. read more
December 2014
Scientists Find Multiple Wolbachia Genomes Integrated in a Drosophila Chromosome
Investigators found multiple complete bacterial genomes integrated into an animal genome
Publications
Cis regulatory motifs and antisense transcriptional control in the apicomplexan Theileria parva.
Tretina K, R Pelle and JC Silva.
BMC Genomics. 2016 17(1):128. [read more].
Quantification of the ratio of host-to-parasite DNA in samples from Theileria parva-infected host lymphocyte cell lines.
Gotia HT, JB Munro, DP Knowles, CA Daubenberger, RP Bishop, JC Silva.
PLoS One. 2016 11(3):e0150401. [read more].
The genomes of three stocks comprising the most widely utilized live sporozoite Theileria parva vaccine exhibit very different degrees and patterns of sequence divergence.
Norling M, Bishop RP, Pelle R, Qi W, Henson S, Drábek EF, Tretina K, Odongo D, Mwaura S, Njoroge T, Bongcam-Rudloff E, Daubenberger CA, Silva JC.
BMC Genomics. 2015 Sep 24 [read more].
The IGS/ILRI Collaborative Project
The Institute for Genome Science (IGS), at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has as a primary goal the application of genome sciences towards the advancement of public health. The IGS has over 100 researchers and staff, and includes two core facilities, the Informatics and the Genomics Resource Centers. Funded primarily by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, the IGS is at the forefront of research to characterize the human microbiome and its consequences for human health and disease, and in the study of a variety of microbial pathogens that cause severe illness in humans and livestock. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to improve food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for better and more sustainable use of livestock. ILRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium which works for a food-secure future.
The onset of domestication of livestock about 10,000 years ago, which established large ruminant populations and the herding of mixed species, is thought to have contributed to creating the conditions favoring the spread and diversification of the pathogens by allowing them to adapt to different hosts. Dr. Joerg Jores (ILRI) and colleagues determined that the origin of the Mycoplasma mycoides pathogen cluster, that encompasses the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, coincides with domestication of ruminants. We are now using comparative genomics of members of this cluster to identify novel candidates for therapeutics.
The cattle parasite Theileria parva has been the focus of a long-lasting TIGR/IGS-ILRI research partnership. This research has resulted in the sequencing and annotation of the reference T. parva Muguga isolate at the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), as well as the study of targeted genes and genome features. Dr. Joana Silva (IGS) leads ongoing genomics and transcriptomics studies, including the re-annotation of the genome, identification of novel antigen candidates and the characterization of population variation on a genome-wide scale.
