Genomic Polymorphism, Sexual Recombination and Molecular Epidemiology of Theileria Parva

Abstract

Over the past decade there has been an exponential increase in studies of parasites using molecular techniques. These techniques have been applied to increase our understanding of the interface between pathogen genome dynamics, population genetics and epidemiology, co-evolution between genes encoding parasite antigens and host immune responses, and sexual recombination processes in parasites. Much of this work has been in the context of human diseases caused by protozoan parasites, particularly Plasmodium (reviewed by Day et al. 1992, Gupta and Anderson, 1999; Lanzer, Fischer and Le Blanq, 1995; Paul and Day 1998; Tibayrenc, 1998).