Query: NC_009438:2939478 Shewanella putrefaciens CN-32 chromosome, complete genome
Lineage: Shewanella putrefaciens; Shewanella; Shewanellaceae; Alteromonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Shewanella putrefaciens is a Gram-negative bacterium. It has been isolated from marine environments, as well as from anaerobic sandstone in the Morrison formation in New Mexico, USA. S. putrefaciens is also a facultative anaerobe with the ability to reduce iron and manganese metabolically; that is, it can use iron and manganese as the terminal electron acceptor in the electron transport chain (in contrast to obligate aerobes which must use oxygen for this purpose). It is also one of the organisms associated with the odor of rotting fish, as it is a marine organism which produces trimethylamines (hence the species name putrefaciens, from putrid). This genus includes species that inhabit a wide range of environments and are capable of utilizing a wide variety of electron acceptors during anaerobic respiration including some insoluble metal oxides while using very few carbon sources such as lactate or acetate. This group of organisms have been studied extensively for their electron transport systems. This species, along with Shewanella algae, are the only Shewanella spp. to be found in clinical speciments. Normally found in marine environments in warmer temperatures, infections seem to occur more frequently in countries with a warm climate and in other countries during warm summer months.
Subject: NC_007613:864084 Shigella boydii Sb227, complete genome
Lineage: Shigella boydii; Shigella; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain is an isolate from an epidemic that took place in China in the 1950s. Causes dysentery. This genus is named for the Japanese scientist (Shiga) who first discovered these organisms in the 1890s. They are closely related to the Escherichia group, and may be considered the same species. These organisms are human-specific pathogens that are transmitted via contaminated food and water and are the leading causes of endemic bacillary dysentery, causing over 160 million cases of infection and 1 million deaths yearly worldwide. The bacteria infect the epithelial lining of the colon, causing acute inflammation by entering the host cell cytoplasm and spreading intercellularly. are extremely virulent organisms that can cause an active infection after a very low exposure. Both the type III secretion system, which delivers effector molecules into the host cell, and some of the translocated effectors such as the invasion plasmid antigens (Ipas), are encoded on the plasmid. The bacterium produces a surface protein that localizes to one pole of the cell (IcsA) which binds to and promotes actin polymerization, resulting in movement of the bacterium through the cell cytoplasm, and eventually to neighboring cells, which results in inflammatory destruction of the mucosal lining. Shigella boydii is uncommon except in India, where it was first isolated. Progression to clinical dysentery occurs in most patients infected with this organism.