10.1371/journal.ppat.1007513 Harald Oey Harald Oey Martha Zakrzewski Martha Zakrzewski Kerstin Gravermann Kerstin Gravermann Neil D. Young Neil D. Young Pasi K. Korhonen Pasi K. Korhonen Geoffrey N. Gobert Geoffrey N. Gobert Sujeevi Nawaratna Sujeevi Nawaratna Shihab Hasan Shihab Hasan David M. Martínez David M. Martínez Hong You Hong You Martin Lavin Martin Lavin Malcolm K. Jones Malcolm K. Jones Mark A. Ragan Mark A. Ragan Jens Stoye Jens Stoye Ana Oleaga Ana Oleaga Aidan M. Emery Aidan M. Emery Bonnie L. Webster Bonnie L. Webster David Rollinson David Rollinson Robin B. Gasser Robin B. Gasser Donald P. McManus Donald P. McManus Lutz Krause Lutz Krause Whole-genome sequence of the bovine blood fluke <i>Schistosoma bovis</i> supports interspecific hybridization with <i>S</i>. <i>haematobium</i> Public Library of Science 2019 haematobium Mesenteric infection interspecific hybridization sequence bovis genome assembly forms form interspecific hybrids DNA species-specific phenotypic traits blood fluke Schistosoma bovis identity 374 Mb assembly 2019-01-23 18:53:48 Dataset https://plos.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Whole-genome_sequence_of_the_bovine_blood_fluke_i_Schistosoma_bovis_i_supports_interspecific_hybridization_with_i_S_i_i_haematobium_i_/7621661 <div><p>Mesenteric infection by the parasitic blood fluke <i>Schistosoma bovis</i> is a common veterinary problem in Africa and the Middle East and occasionally in the Mediterranean Region. The species also has the ability to form interspecific hybrids with the human parasite <i>S</i>. <i>haematobium</i> with natural hybridisation observed in West Africa, presenting possible zoonotic transmission. Additionally, this exchange of alleles between species may dramatically influence disease dynamics and parasite evolution. We have generated a 374 Mb assembly of the <i>S</i>. <i>bovis</i> genome using Illumina and PacBio-based technologies. Despite infecting different hosts and organs, the genome sequences of <i>S</i>. <i>bovis</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>haematobium</i> appeared strikingly similar with 97% sequence identity. The two species share 98% of protein-coding genes, with an average sequence identity of 97.3% at the amino acid level. Genome comparison identified large continuous parts of the genome (up to several 100 kb) showing almost 100% sequence identity between <i>S</i>. <i>bovis</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>haematobium</i>. It is unlikely that this is a result of genome conservation and provides further evidence of natural interspecific hybridization between <i>S</i>. <i>bovis</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>haematobium</i>. Our results suggest that foreign DNA obtained by interspecific hybridization was maintained in the population through multiple meiosis cycles and that hybrids were sexually reproductive, producing viable offspring. The <i>S</i>. <i>bovis</i> genome assembly forms a highly valuable resource for studying schistosome evolution and exploring genetic regions that are associated with species-specific phenotypic traits.</p></div>