Pre_GI: SWBIT SVG BLASTN

Query: NC_012563:519037 Clostridium botulinum A2 str. Kyoto, complete genome

Lineage: Clostridium botulinum; Clostridium; Clostridiaceae; Clostridiales; Firmicutes; Bacteria

General Information: This strain was isolated from a case of infant botulism in Kyoto, Japan in 1978. This organism produces one of the most potent and deadly neurotoxins known, a botulinum toxin that prevents the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, thereby inhibiting muscle contraction and causing paralysis. In most cases the diseased person dies of asphyxiation as a result of paralysis of chest muscles involved in breathing. The spores are heat-resistant and can survive in inadequately heated, prepared, or processed foods. Spores germinate under favorable conditions (anaerobiosis and substrate-rich environment) and bacteria start propagating very rapidly, producing the toxin.Botulinum toxin, and C. botulinum cells, has been found in a wide variety of foods, including canned ones. Almost any food that has a high pH (above 4.6) can support growth of the bacterium. Honey is the most common vehicle for infection in infants. Food poisoning through C. botulinum is the most frequent type of infection caused by this bacterium. The wound botulism that occurs when C. botulinum infects an individual via an open wound is much rarer and is very similar to tetanus disease. There are several types of botulinum toxin known (type A through type F), all of them being neurotoxic polypeptides. The most common and widely distributed are strains and serovars of C. botulinum that produce type A toxin.

Subject: NC_014760:299392 Mycoplasma bovis PG45 chromosome, complete genome

Lineage: Mycoplasma bovis; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasmataceae; Mycoplasmatales; Tenericutes; Bacteria

General Information: This bacterium causes a contagious disease of cattle causing respiratory disease, mastitis, and arthritis. It is found worldwide and is inherently resistant to certain groups of antibiotics because it does not possess a cell wall. More recently, this species has become resistant to tetracycline, tilmicosin and spectinomycin which have been traditionally used in its control. The disease is spread between herds by the transfer of infected but seemingly healthy animals which shed viruses. It has also been introduced into healthy herds via frozen semen collected from an infected bull. The economic losses and negative impact on international trade from this disease have been considerable, and efforts are now underway to develop a vaccine.