Query: NC_006055:689956 Mesoplasma florum L1, complete genome
Lineage: Mesoplasma florum; Mesoplasma; Entomoplasmataceae; Entomoplasmatales; Tenericutes; Bacteria
General Information: Isolated from the surface of the lemon tree flower. Bacterium which lacks a cell wall. This organism is a member of the Mollicutes which are bacteria that lack a cell wall and are obligately parasitic on a number of organisms including mammals, insects, and plants. Mesoplasma florum is a nonpathogenic organism and is nonmotile and is not closely related to Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Unlike other Mollicutes, this species does not require sterol to be supplied in the media for growth.
Subject: NC_010673:388442 Borrelia hermsii DAH, complete genome
Lineage: Borrelia hermsii; Borrelia; Spirochaetaceae; Spirochaetales; Spirochaetes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from a case of relapsing fever in western Washington, USA. Borrelia hermsii is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in the western United States and Canada. Borrelia then multiplies rapidly, causing a generalized infection throughout the tick. While feeding, the tick passes the organism into a mammalian host through its infectious saliva. Relapsing fever is characterized by a period of chills, fever, headache, and malaise, an asymptomatic period, followed by another episode of symptoms. This cycle of relapsing is due to changes in the surface proteins of Borrelia, which allow it to avoid detection and removal by the host immune system. This antigenic variation is the result of homologous recombination of silent proteins into an expressed locus, causing partial or complete replacement of one serotype with another. These plasmids carry genes involved in antigenic variation and pathogenicity.