Query: NC_010673:479552 Borrelia hermsii DAH, complete genome
Lineage: Borrelia hermsii; Borrelia; Spirochaetaceae; Spirochaetales; Spirochaetes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from a case of relapsing fever in western Washington, USA. Borrelia hermsii is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in the western United States and Canada. Borrelia then multiplies rapidly, causing a generalized infection throughout the tick. While feeding, the tick passes the organism into a mammalian host through its infectious saliva. Relapsing fever is characterized by a period of chills, fever, headache, and malaise, an asymptomatic period, followed by another episode of symptoms. This cycle of relapsing is due to changes in the surface proteins of Borrelia, which allow it to avoid detection and removal by the host immune system. This antigenic variation is the result of homologous recombination of silent proteins into an expressed locus, causing partial or complete replacement of one serotype with another. These plasmids carry genes involved in antigenic variation and pathogenicity.
Subject: NC_004547:1970686 Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica SCRI1043, complete genome
Lineage: Pectobacterium atrosepticum; Pectobacterium; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain (ATCC BAA-672) is a virulent blackleg isolated from the stem of a potato plant. Causative agent for blackleg and soft rot disease in potatoes. Formerly Erwinia, these organisms are plant-specific pathogens that invade the vascular systems of plants. Both Pectobacterium chrysanthemia and Pectobacterium carotovora cause soft-rot diseases of various plant hosts through degradation of the plant cell walls. Pectobacterium colonize the intercellular spaces of plant cells and deliver potent effector molecules (Avr - avirulence) through a type III secretion system (Hrp - hypersensitive response and pathogenicity). Avr proteins control host-bacterium interactions, including host range. Expression of the plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes is controlled through a quorum-sensing mechanism that quantifies the number of Pectobacterium bacteria through measurement of the concentration of small molecules (acyl homoserine lactones) produced by Pectobacterium. Pectobacterium atrosepticum is an environmentally widespread organism that causes blackleg and soft rot disease in potatoes. This organism produces pectolytic enzymes that destroy plant tissue and allow the bacteria to spread.