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_007880:1667922 Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica, complete genome
Lineage: Francisella tularensis; Francisella; Francisellaceae; Thiotrichales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain (live vaccine strain) was created in the 1960's in the USA and provides protection against tularemia in animal models as well as in humans. Causative agent of tularemia. This organism was first identified by Edward Francis as the causative agent of a plague-like illness that affected squirrels in Tulare county in California in the early part of the 20th century. The organism now bears his name. The disease, which has been noted throughout recorded history, can be transmitted to humans by infected ticks or deerflies, infected meat, or by aerosol, and thus is a potential bioterrorism agent. This organism has a high infectivity rate, and can invade phagocytic and nonphagocytic cells, multiplying rapidly. Once within a macrophage, the organism can escape the phagosome and live in the cytosol. It is an aquatic organism, and can be found living inside protozoans, similar to what is observed with Legionella.