Towards the minimal eukaryotic parasitic genome.

Microsporidia are well-known to infect immunocompromised patients and are also responsible for clinical syndromes in immunocompetent individuals. In recent years, evidence has been obtained in support of a very close relationship between Microsporidia and Fungi. In some species, the compaction of the genome and genes is remarkable. Thus, a systematic sequencing project has been initiated for the 2.9 Mbp genome of Encephalitozoon cuniculi, which will be useful for future comparative genomic studies.