Query: NC_011184:2840713 Vibrio fischeri MJ11 chromosome I, complete sequence
Lineage: Aliivibrio fischeri; Aliivibrio; Vibrionaceae; Vibrionales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from a pinecone fish, Monocentris japonica, light-emitting organs in Japan. This genus is abundant in marine or freshwater environments such as estuaries, brackish ponds, or coastal areas; regions that provide an important reservoir for the organism in between outbreaks of the disease. Vibrio can affect shellfish, finfish, and other marine animals and a number of species are pathogenic for humans. This organism is found in marine environments and was originally named by Bernard Fischer during a sea voyage in the 1800s. It is a symbiont in fish and squids and is responsible for light generation in those organisms, which use it as a defense mechanism to avoid predators.
Subject: NC_009881:283500 Rickettsia akari str. Hartford, complete genome
Lineage: Rickettsia akari; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from mites in Hartford. Causative agent of Rickettsialpox. Members of this genus, like other Rickettsial organisms such as Neorickettsia and Anaplasma, are obligate intracellular pathogens. In both groups, the bacteria are transmitted via an insect, usually a tick, to a host organism where they target endothelial cells and sometimes macrophages. They attach via an adhesin, rickettsial outer membrane protein A, and are internalized where they persist as cytoplasmically free organisms. Rickettsia akari causes a mild disease, Rickettsialpox, which is an acute fever-inducing illness transmitted by a hematophagous mite that infects the common house mouse and bites humans. Infection by this organism may be confused with anthrax due to the black eschar. This bacterium is a member of the spotted fever group of Rickettsiales and is endemic to New York, USA, but is also found in other cities in the USA, Russia, South Korea, and South Africa.