Query: NC_008570:3220539 Aeromonas hydrophila subsp. hydrophila ATCC 7966, complete genome
Lineage: Aeromonas hydrophila; Aeromonas; Aeromonadaceae; Aeromonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Isolated from canned milk from the USA. Aquatic organism that can cause foodborne illnesses in humans. This organism is an enviromental bacterium that is often found in aquatic habitats, but can also be found contaminating food products. It causes a variety of diseases in both cold-blooded and warm-blooded organisms. The bacterium is becoming a problematic pathogen in humans, where it causes gastroenteritis and septicemia, mainly due to the development of antibiotic resistance by this organism. One of the major virulence factors is aerolysin, a toxin that is produced and secreted by the cell via a type II secretion apparatus. Other virulence functions include a surface layer which inhibits complement-mediated killing, type IV pili for attachment, and a set of extracellular proteases which can cause tissue damage.
Subject: NC_003305:1743939 Agrobacterium tumefaciens str. C58 chromosome linear, complete
Lineage: Agrobacterium tumefaciens; Agrobacterium; Rhizobiaceae; Rhizobiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Gram-negative soil bacterium. This is the most widely studied species in the genus. Strains of Agrobacterium are classified in three biovars based on their utilisation of different carbohydrates and other biochemical tests. The differences between biovars are determined by genes on the single circle of chromosomal DNA. Biovar differences are not particularly relevant to the pathogenicity of A. tumefaciens, except in one respect: biovar 3 is found worldwide as the pathogen of gravevines. This species causes crown gall disease of a wide range of dicotyledonous (broad-leaved) plants, especially members of the rose family such as apple, pear, peach, cherry, almond, raspberry and roses. Because of the way that it infects other organisms, this bacterium has been used as a tool in plant breeding. Any desired genes, such as insecticidal toxin genes or herbicide-resistance genes, can be engineered into the bacterial DNA, and then inserted into the plant genome. This process shortens the conventional plant breeding process, and allows entirely new (non-plant) genes to be engineered into crops.