Query: NC_009802:1570215 Campylobacter concisus 13826, complete genome
Lineage: Campylobacter concisus; Campylobacter; Campylobacteraceae; Campylobacterales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Campylobacter concisus 13826 is a gastrointestinal clinical isolate. Members of this genus are one of the most common causes of bacterial gastroenteritis (campylobacteriosis). Usually the symptoms are abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea, and cramps, but the illness can sometimes be fatal and some infected individuals develop a syndrome (Guillain-Barre) in which the nerves connecting the spinal cord to the brain are damaged. C. jejuni is the main cause of campylobacteriosis, but other species can also cause infection, including C. coli, C. upsaliensis, and C. concisus. Campylobacter concisus was first isolated from the human oral cavity in cases of gingivitis; however the role it plays in periodontal disease is unclear. This organism has also been isolated from children and immunocompromised patients with gastrointestinal disease. C. concisus is a genetically diverse species, comprised of at least four genomospecies.
Subject: NC_005945:5202176 Bacillus anthracis str. Sterne, complete genome
Lineage: Bacillus anthracis; Bacillus; Bacillaceae; Bacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain carries the anthrax toxin plasmid pXO1 but not the capsule plasmid pXO2 and is therefore avirulent but toxigenic. It is the counterpart to the Pasteur strain that carries pXO2 but not pXO1. This strain is often used for vaccine development. 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 was the first to be shown to cause disease by Dr. Louis Pasteur (the organism, isolated from sick animals, was grown in the laboratory and then used to infect healthy animals and make them sick). This organism was also the first for which an attenuated strain was developed as a vaccine. Herbivorous animals become infected with the organism when they ingest spores from the soil whereas humans become infected when they come into contact with a contaminated animal. PA/LF and PA/EF complexes are internalized by host cells where the LF (metalloprotease) and EF (calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase) components act. At high levels LF induces cell death and release of the bacterium while EF increases host susceptibility to infection and promotes fluid accumulation in the cells.