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Schistosoma mansoni, a parasite that infects 200 million people in 76 countries through freshwater snails.
The US is not one of the affected countries because we don t have the snails that carry the
Schistosoma mansoni parasite, though Americans at risk include those traveling in the Peace Corps, on business or for church missions. The new research is the largest genome sequencing of a parasite to date.
Knowing the genetic codes of
Schistosoma mansoni will help researchers develop better medication for infections, a diagnostic field test and even a vaccine, said co-author Phil LoVerde, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and pathology at the The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, who has studied the parasite and its close relatives for more than three decades.