Query: NC_004757:427483 Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 19718, complete genome
Lineage: Nitrosomonas europaea; Nitrosomonas; Nitrosomonadaceae; Nitrosomonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Ammonia-oxidizing bacterium. This organism is an obligate chemo-lithoautotroph as it only uses ammonia and carbon dioxide and mineral salts for growth, and is an important part of the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. It can derive all energy requirements from the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate, driving global nitrogen from the reduced insoluble form to the oxidized and potentially gaseous form (including NO and NO2 which are greenhouse gases). The energy derived from ammonia oxidation is in turn used to drive carbon fixation. This bacterium also provides plants with a readily available form of nitrogen, is important in wastewater treatment, and may be involved in bioremediation of sites contaminated with toxic compounds.
Subject: NC_003103:919000 Rickettsia conorii str. Malish 7, complete genome
Lineage: Rickettsia conorii; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from a human in South Africa. Causative agent for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This genus, like other Rickettsial organisms such as Neorickettsia and Anaplasma, is composed of obligate intracellular pathogens. The latter is composed of two organisms, Rickettsia prowazekii and Rickettsia typhi. The bacteria are transmitted via an insect, usually a tick, to a host organism, in this case humans, where they target endothelial cells and sometimes macrophages. They attach via an adhesin, rickettsial outer membrane protein A, and are internalized where they persist as cytoplasmically free organisms. Transovarial transmission (from mother to offspring) occurs in the invertebrate host. This organism causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever which can cause severe damage to the endothelial layer of major organs, including the lungs, heart, kidneys, and skeletal muscle which can result in death.