Query: NC_012633:276500 Rickettsia africae ESF-5, complete genome
Lineage: Rickettsia africae; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This organism was isolated from a cattle tick, Amblyomma variegatum, collected in Ethiopia. This organism, a member of the spotted fever group of the Rickettsiales, is found in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Rickettsia africae causes a flu-like illness, characterized by a mild fever and severe headache, without the skin rash common to other spotted fever group Rickettsia species. Members of this genus, like other Rickettsial organisms such as Neorickettsia and Anaplasma, are obligate intracellular pathogens. In both groups, the bacteria are transmitted via an insect, usually a tick, to a host organism where they target endothelial cells and sometimes macrophages. They attach via an adhesin, rickettsial outer membrane protein A, and are internalized where they persist as cytoplasmically free organisms.
Subject: NC_007952:1293024 Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 chromosome 2, complete sequence
Lineage: Burkholderia xenovorans; Burkholderia; Burkholderiaceae; Burkholderiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Originally identified as Pseudomonas sp. LB400 that was found in contaminated soil in upstate New York, USA, this organism is now classified in the genus Burkholderia. Polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading bacterium. Member of the genus Burkholderia are versatile organisms that occupy a surprisingly wide range of ecological niches. These bacteria are exploited for biocontrol, bioremediation, and plant growth promotion purposes. Burkholderia xenovorans has been found on fungi, animals, and from human clinical isolates such as from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It may be tightly associated with white-rot fungus, as the degadation of lignin by the fungus results in aromatic compounds the bacterium can then degrade. This organism is exceptionally capable of degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are environmental pollutants, and thus it may play a role in bioremediation of polluted and toxic sites and is studied as a model bioremediator. PCBs can be utilized as the sole carbon and energy source by this organism. The pathways for degradation of PCBs have been extensively characterized at both the genetic and the molecular level and have become a model system for the bacterial breakdown of these very persistent environmental contaminants.