Query: NC_007350:692041 Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. saprophyticus ATCC 15305,
Lineage: Staphylococcus saprophyticus; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcaceae; Bacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: The original ATCC isolate was from a human urine specimen. Commensal Staphylococcal species that can cause acute urinary tract infections. Staphylcocci are generally found inhabiting the skin and mucous membranes of mammals and birds. Some members of this genus can be found as human commensals and these are generally believed to have the greatest pathogenic potential in opportunistic infections. This organism, normally a commensal on human skin and mucous membranes, is now the second most common cause of acute urinary tract infections after Escherichia coli. It often causes uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) in female outpatients.
Subject: NC_008513:343540 Buchnera aphidicola str. Cc (Cinara cedri), complete genome
Lineage: Buchnera aphidicola; Buchnera; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain is found in the cedar aphid, Cinara cedri. Aphid endosymbiont. Almost all aphids contain maternally transmitted bacteriocyte cells, which themselves contain bacteria called Buchnera. The aphids live on a restricted diet (plant sap), rich in carbohydrates, but poor in nitrogenous or other essential compounds. It is believed that the Buchnera provide the essential nutrients the host lacks. Besides a nutritional co-dependence, due to a co-existence of millions of years, Buchnera have lost the ability to produce cell surface components such as lipopolysaccharides. This makes for an obligate endosymbiont relationship between host and Buchnera. Buchnera are prokaryotic cells which belong to the gamma-Proteobacteria, closely related to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Phylogenetic studies using 16S rRNA indicate that the symbiotic relationship was established around 200-250 million years ago. Since Buchnera are closely related to Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae, comparative genomic studies can shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms of intracellular endosymbiosis as well as the different underlying molecular basis between organisms with parasitic behavior and symbionts.