Query: NC_015709:1459838 Zymomonas mobilis subsp. pomaceae ATCC 29192 chromosome, complete
Lineage: Zymomonas mobilis; Zymomonas; Sphingomonadaceae; Sphingomonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Country: United Kingdom; Isolation: Sick cider; Temp: Mesophile. The natural habitat of this organism includes sugar-rich plant saps where the bacterium ferments sugar to ethanol. The high conversion of sugars to ethanol makes this organism useful in industrial production systems, particularly in production of bioethanol for fuel. A recombinant strain of this bacterium is utilized for the conversion of sugars, particularly xylose, which is not utilized by another common sugar-fermenting organism such as yeast, to ethanol. Since xylose is a common breakdown product of cellulose or a waste component of the agricultural industry, it is an attractive source for ethanol production. Zymomonas mobilis was chosen for this process as it is ethanol-tolerant (up to 120 grams of ethanol per litre) and productive (5-10% more ethanol than Saccharomyces). This bacterium ferments using the Enter-Doudoroff pathway, with the result that less carbon is used in cellular biomass production and more ends up as ethanol, another factor that favors this organism for ethanol production.
Subject: NC_009648:4656187 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.