The genome sequence of the Wolbachia endosymbiont wLs of the filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis
Litomosoides sigmodontis is a filarial nematode parasite of rodents. Found in cotton rats in the wild, it has been adapted to the laboratory mouse and is widely used as a model for human filariases. Beginning with work in Odile Bain's laboratory in Paris, this L. sigmodontis model has become central in efforts to develop vaccines against filarial infections, test new drugs before they are progressed to clinical trials, and to investigate the basic biology of the fascinating interactions between parasitic nematodes and their mammalian hosts.  Litomosoides sigmodontis carries a Wolbachia endosymbiont that has a putatively mutualistic relationship with the nematode host. This project reports the draft genome sequence of the L. sigmodontis wolbachia, wLs