The common green bottle blow fly Lucilia sericata (family, Calliphoridae) is widely used for maggot debridement therapy, which involves the application of sterile maggots to wounds. The larval excretions and secretions are important for consuming necrotic tissue and inhibiting bacterial growth in wounds of patients. Lucilia sericata is also of importance as a pest of sheep and in forensic studies to estimate a postmortem interval. Here we report the assembly of a 565.3 Mb genome from long read PacBio DNA sequencing of genomic DNA. The genome contains 14,704 predicted protein coding genes and 1709 non-coding genes. Targeted annotation and transcriptional analyses identified genes that are highly expressed in the larval salivary glands (secretions) and Malpighian tubules (excretions) under normal growth conditions and following heat stress. The genomic resources will underpin future genetic studies and in development of engineered strains for genetic control of L. sericata and for biotechnology-enhanced maggot therapy.

The bacterial strain TR3.2, representing a novel deeply branching lineage within the Gammaproteobacteria , was isolated and its genome sequenced. This isolate is the first cultivated representative of the previously described “Pyrene Group 2” (PG2) and represents a variety of environmental sequences primarily associated with petrochemical contamination and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation.

Lucilia cuprina, a species of blowfly, consists of two recognized subspecies: L. cuprina cuprina and L. cuprina dorsalis. Although they are morphologically and molecularly similar to each other, they have very different ecological roles. In Australia, L. c. dorsalis is predominantly found in rural areas and is the primary causative agent of sheep myiasis (flystrike), while L. c. cuprina is necrophagous and not a significant pest of livestock in the Americas or elsewhere. Here, we present a chromosome-scale genome assembly for L. c. cuprina and an improved assembly for L. c. dorsalis, enabling comparative genomic analysis between these subspecies. While both genomes share a similar gene content, subspecies-specific genes were identified, which may contribute to their divergent ecological roles -necrophagy in L. c. cuprina and parasitism in L. c. dorsalis. Phylogenetic analyses across target genomic regions reaffirm the close relationship between L. c. cuprina and L. c. dorsalis and position L. sericata as their sister species. Gene mutations linked to diazinon resistance were exclusively observed in L. c. dorsalis, while malathion resistance was detected in both subspecies. Additionally, we identified genes with accelerated evolutionary rates in each subspecies, which may underlie their distinct feeding behaviours. We also conducted a detailed analysis of chemosensory genes, revealing that L. c. dorsalis possesses slightly larger repertoires of all four chemosensory gene families analyzed. In comparison to Drosophila melanogaster, both subspecies exhibit an expanded gustatory receptor clade. Our findings provide valuable insights into the genetic factors underpinning parasitism and insecticide resistance and provide a valuable genetic resource for future research endeavours, including the development of engineered strains aimed at genetic biocontrol strategies. This work enhances our understanding of the evolutionary adaptations for this important blowfly species.

Environmental contamination can have lasting impacts on surrounding communities, though the long-term impacts can be difficult to ascertain. The disaster at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 and subsequent remediation efforts resulted in contamination of the local environment with radioactive material, heavy metals, and additional environmental toxicants. Many of these are mutagenic in nature, and the full effect of these exposures on local flora and fauna has yet to be understood. Several hundred free-roaming dogs occupy the contaminated area surrounding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and previous studies have highlighted a striking level of genetic differentiation between two geographically close populations of these dogs. With this work, we investigate mutation as a possible driver of this genetic differentiation. First, we consider large-scale mutation by assessing the karyotypic architecture of these dogs. We then search for evidence of mutation through short tandem repeat/microsatellite diversity analyses and by calculating the proportion of recently derived alleles in individuals in both populations. Through these analyses, we do not find evidence of differential mutation accumulation for these populations. Thus, we find no evidence that an increased mutation rate is driving the genetic differentiation between these two Chornobyl populations. The dog populations at Chornobyl present a unique opportunity for studying the genetic effects of the long-term exposures they have encountered, and this study expands and builds on previous work done in the area.

Foodborne infections caused by Salmonella enterica serovars are a significant problem worldwide. Presented here is the genome sequence of the nontyphoidal S. enterica serovar Typhimurium mutant strain NC983, a potential vaccine candidate.