Query: NC_013515:550464 Streptobacillus moniliformis DSM 12112, complete genome
Lineage: Streptobacillus moniliformis; Streptobacillus; Leptotrichiaceae; Fusobacteriales; Fusobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Isolation: Patient with rat-bite fever in France; Temp: Mesophile; Temp: 37C; Habitat: Host. Streptobacillus moniliformis causes rat bite fever, a systemic illness characterized by fever, chills, and joint pain which can progress to endocarditis, meningitis or pneumonia if left untreated. Although infection is usually associated with a rodent bite, this disease can be caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Streptobacillus moniliformis is the causative agent of rat bite fever in North and South America while a different organism, Spirillum minus, is primarily responsible for this disease in Asia and other countries.
Subject: NC_012563:3956500 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.