Pre_GI: SWBIT SVG BLASTP

Query: NC_009727:1822877 Coxiella burnetii Dugway 7E9-12, complete genome

Lineage: Coxiella burnetii; Coxiella; Coxiellaceae; Legionellales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria

General Information: Coxiella burnetii Dugway 5J108-111 was isolated from rodents in Utah, USA. This organism is widely distributed in nature and can cause infections in reptiles, birds, and mammals. It causes Q fever, or 'query' fever, an atypical pneumonia first associated with abattoir workers in Australia. Transmission may be through insect vectors such as ticks that have bitten an infected wild or domesticated animal, or through an aerosol produced by domesticated animals such as sheep or cattle. The presence of a plasmid is believed to be associated with virulence and pathogenicity, however C. burnetii isolates containing plasmid QpDG are avirulent in guinea pigs and plasmidless isolates have been associated with endocarditis in humans. Coxiella burnetii has a developmental life cycle, and can grow vegetatively through binary fission, or asymmetrically and produce a spore-like cell. The spore-like cell may enable the organism to exist extracellularly for small amounts of time. This bacterium is an obligate intracellular pathogen. It is endocytosed by a host cell, a macrophage for example, and lives and replicates inside the phagolysozome, a unique property of this organism. The genome encodes proteins that have a higher than average pI, which may enable adaptation to the acidic environment of the phagolysozome. The chromosome also contains genes for a number of detoxification and stress response proteins such as dismutases that allow growth in the oxidative environment. The type IV system is similar to the one found in Legionella, which may be important for intracellular survival. This organism produces numerous ankyrin-repeat proteins that may be involved in interactions with the host cell. The genome has 83 pseudogenes, which may be a result of the typical genome-wide degradation observed with other intracellular organisms and also has a group I intron in the 23S ribosomal RNA gene.

Subject: NC_014932:985882 Bartonella clarridgeiae 73, complete genome

Lineage: Bartonella clarridgeiae; Bartonella; Bartonellaceae; Rhizobiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria

General Information: Bartonella clarridgeiae was first identified from a case of cat scratch fever in a veterinarian who had been bitten by a cat. This organism has subsequently been identified in both cats and dogs. Cats, which are infected by fleas carrying the bacteria, in turn infect humans when scratching or biting them, hence the name. A small red bump forms at the site of infection, followed 2-3 weeks later by a painful swelling of the lymph node. In immunocompromized patients, more severe progress may be observed, including encephalitis, swelling of the spleen, and heart valve infection. Approximately 24 000 cases are reported in the US each year.