Query: NC_015713:2453409 Simkania negevensis Z chromosome gsn.131, complete genome Lineage: Simkania negevensis; Simkania; Simkaniaceae; Chlamydiales; Chlamydiae; Bacteria General Information: This bacterium is named after Simona Kahane who discovered the organism as a contaminant in cell cultures at Ber Sheva, in the Negev Desert, Israel, in 1993. Simkania negevensis is a member of the order Chlamydiales and can reside intracellularly and has a slow prolonged developmental cycle. It has a wide geographical and environmental distribution and is associated with pneumonia, bronchiolitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, furthermore, it is completely resistant to penicillin and to bacitracin. The natural hosts of Simkania negevensis bacteria might be amoebae.
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General Information: This strain was isolated from a polluted creek in Urbana, Illinois, USA by enrichment culture with ethylbenzyne as a sole source of carbon and energy. Its ability to degrade several different compounds including benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene makes this species useful in the bioremediation of sites contaminated with multiple aromatic hydrocarbons. Underground gasoline tanks which have developed leaks can contaminate soil and water with a variety of these compounds. Bacteria belonging to the Pseudomonas group are common inhabitants of soil and water and can also be found on the surfaces of plants and animals. Pseudomonas bacteria are found in nature in a biofilm or in planktonic form. Pseudomonas bacteria are renowned for their metabolic versatility as they can grow under a variety of growth conditions and do not need any organic growth factors. As they are metabolically versatile, and well characterized, it makes them great candidates for biocatalysis, bioremediation and other agricultural applications. Certain strains have been used in the production of bioplastics.