Query: NC_011601:2998326 Escherichia coli O127:H6 str. E2348/69 chromosome, complete genome
Lineage: Escherichia coli; Escherichia; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is an important cause of fatal infant diarrhea. EPEC induces diarrhea by attaching and effacing to host cells in the small intestine, inducing cytoskeletal rearrangements that result in pedastel formation, and then by introducing toxins into the host cell. This organism was named for its discoverer, Theodore Escherich, and is one of the premier model organisms used in the study of bacterial genetics, physiology, and biochemistry. This enteric organism is typically present in the lower intestine of humans, where it is the dominant facultative anaerobe present, but it is only one minor constituent of the complete intestinal microflora. E. coli, is capable of causing various diseases in its host, especially when they acquire virulence traits. E. coli can cause urinary tract infections, neonatal meningitis, and many different intestinal diseases, usually by attaching to the host cell and introducing toxins that disrupt normal cellular processes.
Subject: NC_009648:3224495 Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae MGH 78578, complete genome
Lineage: Klebsiella pneumoniae; Klebsiella; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from a patient in 1994. Opportunistic pathogen that causes multiple hospital-acquired infections. This organism is the most medically important organism within the genus Klebsiella. It is an environmental organism found in water, soil, and on the surface of plants. Several strains have been isolated from plant tissues and are nitrogen-fixing endophytes that may be a source of nitrogen for the plant. Other strains can become opportunistic pathogens which infect humans, and typically causes hospital-acquired infections in immunocompromised patients. Major sites of infection include the lungs, where it causes a type of pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. Klebsiella can also enter the bloodstream (bacterimia) and cause sepsis. The pathogen can also infect animals and cause inflammation of the uterus in horses as well as more generalized infections in other mammals. This organism expresses numerous pathogenicity factors, including multiple adhesins, capsular polysaccharide, siderophores, and lipopolysaccharide for the evasion of host defenses. The multiple antibiotic resistance genes carried on the chromosome inhibit efforts to clear the organism from infected patients via antibiotic use.