Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
Classification
Higher order taxa
Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Gammaproteobacteria; Pasteurellales; Pasteurellaceae; Aggregatibacter; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
Species
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
Description and significance
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is one of the most completely studied periodontal bacteria. It stays in the periodontal pocket of the oral cavity and damages tooth supporting tissues. See Pathology section for more details (4).
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a gram negative bacterium which is spherical or rod-shaped (2). It’s a facultative anaerobe which can grow under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions (1). Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a typical cause of periodontitis but it may also be related to systemic infections and arterial plaques. Isolated Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans from periodontitis patients releases leukotoxin which kills T cells by some pathways (3). This will be discussed later in Pathology section.
A complete genomic sequence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is available in publication by David Dyer, Bruce Roe and colleagues at the University of Oklahoma.
Genome structure
Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle?
Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
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Pathology
How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.
Application to Biotechnology
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Current Research
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References
Edited by student of Rachel Larsen
