Pre_GI: SWBIT SVG BLASTN

Query: NC_009708:3903598 Yersinia pseudotuberculosis IP 31758 chromosome, complete genome

Lineage: Yersinia pseudotuberculosis; Yersinia; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria

General Information: This strain is serotype 1b and was isolated in 1966 from the stools of a patient presenting with scarlet-like fever in the Primorski region of the former USSR. Environmental bacterium that causes gastrointestinal disease. Specific virulence factors are encoded within pathogenicity islands (PAIs) that are required for the invasive phenotype associated with Yersinia infections. One key virulence plasmid contained by the three human-specific pathogens is pCD1/pYv, which encodes a type III secretion system for the delivery of virulence proteins that contribute to internalization into the host cell. This organism was first isolated in 1883 by Malassez and Vignal and is termed pseudotuberculosis since it causes lesions in the lung that are similar to those observed during tuberculosis infection. It is ubiquitous in the environment and is a food and waterborne pathogen that affects animals as well as humans by causing gastroenteritis like Yersinia enterocolitica.

Subject: NC_010263:232482 Rickettsia rickettsii str. Iowa, complete genome

Lineage: Rickettsia rickettsii; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria

General Information: Causative agent for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This organism was first identified by Dr. Howard Rickets as the causative agent of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which was originally named for its geographic distribution at the time, it is now known to be widespread throughout the North American continent. This bacterium is an obligate intracellular pathogen that infects primarily the vascular endothelium, and occasionally smooth muscle tissue. It is passed to the human host from a tick bite, and the tick acts as both a natural reservoir and a vector for disease transmission. Once the organism is endocytosed by the host cell, it quickly escapes the phagozome, and replicates intracellularly, causing cell death and tissue damage. The disease is characterized by a spotted rash and has a high mortality rate if left untreated.