Query: NC_003454:63500 Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. nucleatum ATCC 25586, complete Lineage: Fusobacterium nucleatum; Fusobacterium; Fusobacteriaceae; Fusobacteriales; Fusobacteria; Bacteria General Information: Normal oral and gastrointestinal bacterium. This genus contains mostly obligately anaerobic bacilli. Many of the isolates are spindle-shaped, or fusiform. This organism belongs to the normal microflora of the human oral and gastrointestinal tracts. It is a very long and slender spindle-shaped bacillus with sharply pointed ends that is characterized by the ability to invade soft tissues. It acts as a bridge between early and late colonizers of the tooth surface, and exerts synergism with other bacteria in mixed infections. It is most frequently associated with periodontal diseases, as well as with some invasive human infections of the head and neck, chest, lung, liver and abdomen, and some anginas. One of the major amino acid and sugar fermentation pathways in Fusobacterium nucleatum produces butyric and acetic acids.
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General Information: This organism was first isolated from the soil in Vineland, New Jersey, although it is found worldwide. It is a large obligate aerobe that has one of the highest respiratory rates of any organism. Azotobacter vinelandii also produces a number of unusual nitrogenases which allow it to fix atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, a compound it can then use as a nitrogen source. It protects the oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase enzymes through its high respiratory rate, which sequesters the nitrogenase complexes in an anoxic environment. This organism has a number of unusual characteristics. Under extreme environmental conditions, the cell will produce a cyst that is resistant to dessication and is surrounded by two capsular polysaccharide layers. This organism produces two industrially important polysaccharides, poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and alginate. PHB is a thermoplastic biopolymer, and alginate is used in the food industry. Alginate is also used by the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to infect the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.