title: The genome of the sparganosis tapeworm  Spirometra erinaceieuropaei isolated from the  biopsy of a migrating brain lesion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sparganosis is an infection with a larval Diphyllobothriidea tapeworm. From a rare cerebral case presented at a clinic in the UK, DNA was recovered from a biopsy sample and used to determine the causative species as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei through sequencing of the cox1 gene. From the same DNA, we have produced a draft genome, the first of its kind for this species, and used it to perform a comparative genomics analysis and to investigate known and potential tapeworm drug targets in this tapeworm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 1.26 Gb draft genome of S. erinaceieuropaei is currently the largest reported for any flatworm. Through investigation of β-tubulin genes, we predict that S. erinaceieuropaei larvae are insensitive to the tapeworm drug albendazole. We find that many putative tapeworm drug targets are also present in S. erinaceieuropaei, allowing possible cross application of new drugs. In comparison to other sequenced tapeworm species we observe expansion of protease classes, and of Kuntiz-type protease inhibitors. Expanded gene families in this tapeworm also include those that are involved in processes that add post-translational diversity to the protein landscape, intracellular transport, transcriptional regulation and detoxification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The S. erinaceieuropaei genome begins to give us insight into an order of tapeworms previously uncharacterized at the genome-wide level. From a single clinical case we have begun to sketch a picture of the characteristics of these organisms. Finally, our work represents a significant technological achievement as we present a draft genome sequence of a rare tapeworm, and from a small amount of starting material.
authors.forename: Hayley M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Hoi Ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.forename: Effrossyni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gkrania-Klotsas
authors.forename: Isheng J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Eleanor J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.forename: Nagui M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Antoun
authors.forename: Avril
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coghlan
authors.forename: Bhavana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Harsha
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Traini
authors.forename: Diogo M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steinbiss
authors.forename: Sebastian B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Kieren S J
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Allinson
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Santarius
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Carmichael
authors.forename: Peter L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Chiodini
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Holroyd
authors.forename: Andrew F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berriman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D004170:Diphyllobothrium / Q000235:genetics*; D016678:Genome; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D013031:Sparganosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology; D013146:Spirometra / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology; D006113:United Kingdom