Query: NC_006348:2738425 Burkholderia mallei ATCC 23344 chromosome 1, complete sequence
Lineage: Burkholderia mallei; Burkholderia; Burkholderiaceae; Burkholderiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This type strain came from a Chinese patient in Burma who had glanders in 1944. Causes glanders in horses. This organism is rarely associated with human infection, and is more commonly seen in domesticated animals such as horses, donkeys, and mules where it causes glanders, a disease first described by Aristotle. The pathogen is host-adapted and is not found in the environment outside of its host. Rapid-onset pneumonia, bacteremia (spread of the organism through the blood), pustules, and death are common outcomes during infection. No vaccine exists for this potentially dangerous organism.
Subject: NC_010793:1075388 Orientia tsutsugamushi str. Ikeda, complete genome
Lineage: Orientia tsutsugamushi; Orientia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This organism is the causative agent of scrub typhus, and like other members of the Rickettsiales is an obligate intracellular organism. Scrub typhus, which occurs in rural and agricultural areas, is one of the most common infectious diseases in southeast Asia where an estimated 1 million cases occur each year. Many cases are mild, but if left untreated, a variety of serious illnesses can arise and fatality rates can range from 1-35%. Transmission occurs via an insect vector through the bite of the larval trombiculid mite (chiggers). The bacterium is transmitted transovarially in mites (from females to their offspring).