The Schistosoma gene discovery program: state of the art

Schistosoma are dioecious digenetic trematodes carrying a large (270 Mb) ge nome. Gaining knowledge about the genome of these parasites is of importanc e for the understanding of their biology, mechanisms of drug resistance and antigenic variation that determine escape from the host's immune system. T his review will provide an update on the Schistosoma Gene Discovery Program , which is part of the Schistosoma Genome Project created in 1992. One of t he main objectives of this program is the discovery and characterisation of new genes of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum in an attempt t o search for new targets for drugs and vaccine development. The success of the Schistosoma Gene Discovery Program is demonstrated by the number of cat alogued genes, that now reaches 15 to 20% of the full gene complement of it s genome, (C) 2000 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by El sevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.