Query: NC_006833:902744 Wolbachia endosymbiont strain TRS of Brugia malayi, complete
Lineage: Wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia malayi; Wolbachia; Anaplasmataceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: A nematode endosymbiont. This group of bacteria are associated with a variety of invertebrate species, some as pathogens, some in a symbiotic relationship. Typically these organisms are transmitted maternally from mother to daughter transovarially (through the egg) although these bacteria can affect their hosts reproductive capabilities in order to enhance transmission. The net outcome is the increase of hosts carrying the bacteria in the next generation, thereby increasing transmission. This strain naturally infects Brugia malayi, a parasitic filarial nematode that causes lymphatic filariasis, one of the most devastating diseases in humans. The endosymbiont plays important roles in the biology of the nematide host. One of the known such effects are aberrant sex ratios in the host, parthenogenesis and feminization of genetic males, etc.
Subject: NC_006322:4149500 Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 14580, complete genome
Lineage: Bacillus licheniformis; Bacillus; Bacillaceae; Bacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: Industrially important bacterium. Under starvation conditions this group of bacteria initiate a pathway that leads to endospore formation, a process that is thoroughly studied and is a model system for prokaryotic development and differentiation. Spores are highly resistant to heat, cold, dessication, radiation, and disinfectants, and enable the organism to persist in otherwise inhospitable environments. Under more inviting conditions the spores germinate to produce vegetative cells. This organism is a soil-dwelling endospore-forming microbe similar to other Bacilli. This bacterium is used extensively in the industrial production of important enzymes such as proteases, penicllinases, and amylases as well as smaller compounds like the antibiotic bacitracin and various organic metabolites. This organism is closely related to Bacillus subtilis on the basis of rRNA typing, and it has been found to occasionally cause illness in humans.