High-quality nuclear genome for Sarcoptes scabiei-A critical resource for a neglected parasite.

Pasi K Korhonen,Anthony T Papenfuss,Ehtesham Mofiz,Neil D Young,Santosh Renuse,Katja Fischer,Andreas J Stroehlein,Robin B Gasser,Sara Taylor,Harsha Gowda,Shivashankar H Najaraj,Akhilesh Pandey,Tao Wang,Deborah C Holt ,Simone Reynolds ,Anil K Madugundu ,Ang C ,Danny Fernando ,H Lu ,Guorong Ma

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008720

Abstract

The parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei is an economically highly significant parasite of the skin of humans and animals worldwide. In humans, this mite causes a neglected tropical disease (NTD), called scabies. This disease results in major morbidity, disability, stigma and poverty globally and is often associated with secondary bacterial infections. Currently, anti-scabies treatments are not sufficiently effective, resistance to them is emerging and no vaccine is available. Here, we report the first high-quality genome and transcriptomic data for S. scabiei. The genome is 56.6 Mb in size, has a a repeat content of 10.6% and codes for 9,174 proteins. We explored key molecules involved in development, reproduction, host-parasite interactions, immunity and disease. The enhanced ‘omic data sets for S. scabiei represent comprehensive and critical resources for genetic, functional genomic, metabolomic, phylogenetic, ecological and/or epidemiological investigations, and will underpin the design and development of new treatments, vaccines and/or diagnostic tests.

Highlights

Sarcoptes scabiei is a parasitic mite of the skin that causes scabies, one of the commonest dermatological diseases worldwide that results in major morbidity, disability, stigma and poverty [1, 2]
We sequenced the genome of S. scabiei var. suis from Australia at 114-fold long read and 443-fold short read coverage (S1 Table), producing a final draft assembly of 56.6 Mb with a mean GC-content of 33.3%
Using data for protein-encoding single-copy orthologous genes (SCOs; n = 2,314), we showed that S. scabiei var. suis is genetically similar to S. scabiei var. canis, phylogenetically related to the dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) and the scab mite (Psoroptes ovis), and is distant from the spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) and the predatory mite (Metaseiulus occidentalis) (Fig 3)

Summary

Introduction

Sarcoptes scabiei is a parasitic mite of the skin that causes scabies, one of the commonest dermatological diseases worldwide that results in major morbidity, disability, stigma and poverty [1, 2]. Scabies poses a high risk of potentially life-threatening Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia and severe post-streptococcal sequelae [6, 7], including rheumatic fever, heart disease and/or glomerulonephritis, representing a substantial mortality burden [8]. In spite of this knowledge, current epidemiological data underrepresent the actual scabies burden [9] due to an absence of accurate diagnostic tools and serious gaps in disease surveillance. In 2017, WHO’s recommendation to include scabies in the highest NTD category came with an urgent call for research and drug development [10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion