In PLOS this week: genetic analysis of malaria parasite populations in Southeast Asia, genomic surveillance of yellow fever virus in São Paulo, and more.
Sequencing and other experiments on barcoded Plasmodium berghei mutant strains helped researchers narrow in on key metabolic pathways in the parasite's liver stage.
Researchers used genomic and transcriptomic data of isolates from seven Southeast Asian countries to find resistance-relevant pathways and expression quantitative trait loci.
Three genetically distinct sub-populations appeared when the team sequenced and compared 48 clinical isolates of Plasmodium knowlesi and five lab lines.
A chromosome 4 locus near glycophorin-coding genes appears to decrease the risk of severe malaria in African children, particularly those from East Africa.
The results showed that mammalian-infecting Plasmodium evolved contemporaneously with their hosts, with little evidence of parasite host-switching on an evolutionary scale.
CNN reports that a US Food and Drug Administration document says Johnson & Johnson's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine meets the requirements to receive an Emergency Use Authorization.
In Cell this week: analysis of fitness patterns among SARS-CoV-2 isolates, single-cell transcriptome analysis of immune features in COVID-19, and more.
