Query: NC_010320:881351 Thermoanaerobacter sp. X514 chromosome, complete genome
Lineage: Thermoanaerobacter; Thermoanaerobacter; Thermoanaerobacteraceae; Thermoanaerobacterales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated by anaerobic enrichment culture from a deep subsurface sample (2000 m below the surface) taken from a core hole at the Piceance Basin, Colorado, USA. It can use a variety of electron donors, including glucose, acetate, hydrogen and xylose while reducing iron, chromium and uranium at 60 degrees C.
Subject: NC_008710:386376 Borrelia turicatae 91E135, complete genome
Lineage: Borrelia turicatae; Borrelia; Spirochaetaceae; Spirochaetales; Spirochaetes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated in the USA from the soft tick Ornithodoros turicatae. Borrelia turicatae is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in the southwestern USA. Ticks become infected with Borrelia while feeding on an infected mammal, usually a rodent or squirrel. Borrelia then multiplies rapidly, causing a generalized infection throughout the tick. While feeding, the tick passes the spirochete into a mammalian host through its infectious saliva. Relapsing fever is characterized by period of chills, fever, headache, and malaise, followed by an asymptomatic, followed by another episode of symptoms. The 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.