The genomic basis of interlaboratory strain variation is only beginning to become evident, with recent studies tracing the histories of commonly used lab strains of B. subtilis 168, E. coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium 14028s, Pseudomonas aerugi-nosaPA01 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv [76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81] . These have revealed significant divergence of putatively identical strains from one laboratory to another, largely arising from mutations that accumulate during serial passage. Like the earlier work, our study highlights the utility of approaches based on wholegenome sequencing for the discrimination of closely related strains, especially when investigating the provenance for a given isolate. Tragically, at least 13 institutions are known to have destroyed archival collections of Select Agents [82] following the implementation of mandatory monitoring and reporting requirements, representing an incalculable loss of phenotypic and genomic diversity. This report underscores the importance of maintaining the genetic heritage preserved in the culture collections of individual investigators and institutions.  Differential Induction of Functional IgG Using the Plasmodium falciparum Placental Malaria Vaccine Candidate VAR2CSA BACKGROUND: In Plasmodium falciparum malaria endemic areas placental malaria (PM) is an important complication of malaria. The recurrence of malaria in primigravidae women irrespective of acquired protection during childhood is caused by the interaction between the parasite-expressed VAR2CSA antigen and chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) in the placental intervillous space and lack of protective antibodies. PM impairs fetal development mainly by excessive inflammation processes. After infections during pregnancy women acquire immunity to PM conferred by antibodies against VAR2CSA. Ideally, a vaccine against PM will induce antibody-mediated immune responses that block the adhesion of infected erythrocytes (IE) in the placenta. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have previously shown that antibodies raised in rat against individual domains of VAR2CSA can block IE binding to CSA. In this study we have immunized mice, rats and rabbits with each individual domain and the full-length protein corresponding to the FCR3 VAR2CSA variant. We found there is an inherently higher immunogenicity of C-terminal domains compared to N-terminally located domains. This was irrespective of whether antibodies were induced against single domains or the full-length protein. Species-specific antibody responses were also found, these were mainly directed against single domains and not the full-length VAR2CSA protein. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Binding inhibitory antibodies appeared to be against conformational B-cell epitopes. Non-binding inhibitory antibodies reacted highly against the C-terminal end of the VAR2CSA molecule especially the highly polymorphic DBL6ε domain. Differential species-specific induction of antibody responses may allow for more direct analysis of functional versus non-functional B-cell epitopes. Animal models are required for preclinical development of new generation vaccines against infectious diseases [1] [2] [3] . The ideal animal model mimics the human immunological response, the pathogen infection pathway, and allows analysis of the mechanism of the vaccine-induced protective immune response. However, despite the availability of humanised animal models such as transgenic mice [4] , immunological responses in most animal models are only indicative of what to expect in humans. The development of a recombinant vaccine is initiated with identification and selection of an antigen that induces a desired immune response. At this step, multiple antigens are tested, which requires an inexpensive and easy to handle animal model. Following selection of antigen, the optimal route of vaccine administration together with a proper adjuvant formulation has to be evaluated. The design of the individual vaccine components and their delivery thus relies on the performance in these pre-clinical animal tests, emphasizing the importance of the animal model.