Bacteria Genomes - BRUCELLA SUIS
Brucella suis primarily infects pigs, most commonly causing abortions
and stillbirths
Comparison
of the closely related Brucella suis and Brucella melitensis genomes has defined a finite set of differences that could be responsible
for the differences in virulence and host preference between these
organisms. Based on the genomic and functional similarities between Brucella suis and organisms from the Rhizobium/Agrobacterium group it seems likely that the Brucella evolved from a
soil/plant-associated ancestral bacteria.
Brucella suis is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen.
The sequencing
of the Brucella suis genome began in the summer of 2001,
before the terrorist attacks and anthrax deaths. These events did
not accelerate the research, but they gave a heightened awareness
of how Brucella suis might be used for bioterrorism. Considered
a potential bioweapon, Brucella suis was the first pathogenic organism
weaponised by the U.S. military during the 1950s. It constitutes
a potential bioterrorism threat that could be targeted against military
personnel, civilians, or food supplies as it causes a debilitating
flu-like disease in humans that is rarely fatal.
The surprise
of the study of this 3.31-Mb genome sequence was the similarity
between this animal pathogen and some plant pathogens and microbes
that live symbiotically with plants. Despite their preferences for
different kingdoms, the various organisms share genes, genomicstructures
and biological pathways.
References:
http://www.tigr.org/CMR2/BackGround/gbr.html
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002, 99 (20):13148-53
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