High quality chromosomal genome assemblies of three human Plasmodium species directly from natural infections.

High-quality chromosome-level reference genomes were generated for Plasmodium ovale wallikeri, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium falciparum directly from natural blood infections, resolving previously inaccessible subtelomeric regions.

• Why it matters: Limited genome resources for P. ovale wallikeri and P. malariae, driven by low parasite biomass and lack of in vitro culture, constrain studies of persistence, transmission, and immune evasion.
• What they did: The team used PacBio Ultra-Low-Input HiFi long-read sequencing plus Hi-C on blood samples from natural infections to build chromosome-level assemblies for all three species.
• The result: The assemblies resolve expanded subtelomeric gene families linked to host-parasite interactions, enabling improved comparative evolutionary analyses and supporting efforts to include these neglected species in malaria elimination.

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