Shigella boydii
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Shigella boydii
Classification
Higher order taxa
Bacteria;Proteobacteria;Gamma Proteobacteria;Enterobacteriales;Enterobacteriaceae;Shigella
Genus
Shigella boydii
NCBI: Taxonomy |
Description and significance
Shigella boydii is a bacillary (rod-shaped), nonmotile, non-spore forming gram negative bacterium. Evolutionarily, Shigella bacteria are thought to be derived from different strains of Escherichia coli although some serotypes of Shigella boydii seem to be more closely related to other species. S. boydii type 13, for example, shares sequence similarities with Vibrio cholerae for the genes encoding the O antigen, the polysaccharide part of the lipopolysaccharide, and therefore these may be more closely related.
Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why it is important enough to have its genome sequenced. Describe how and where it was isolated. Include a picture or two (with sources) if you can find them.
Genome structure
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Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
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Pathology
Known to cause Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) through oral-fecal transmission. General symptoms are diarrhea and fever, which in most cases is mild and resolves in about a week. The elderly and very young are more sensitive to the bacteria where symptoms like stomach cramps, high fever and severe bloody diarrhea may occur. Usually Shigella bacteria is found in areas of low sanitary regulation. Food washed with contaminated water or not cleaned properly may also be a target. In 1998 an outbreak of Shigellosis occurred in Chicago due to Shigella boydii type 18 found on the cilantro and parsley in bean salad. Even so, less than 10% of foodborne illnesses are attributed to Shigella bacteria in the United States.2 Around the world Shigella boydii is mainly restricted to the sub-continent of India.
Application to Biotechnology
Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?
Current Research
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References
1. Feng, Lu, Sof'ya N. Senchenkova, Jinghua Yang, Alexander S. Shashkov, Jiang Tao, Hongjie Guo, Guang Zhao, Yuriy A. Knirel, Peter Reeves, and Lei Wang. "Structural and Genetic Characterization of the Shigella Boydii Type 13 O Antigen." J Bacteriol 186(2) (2004): 383-392. PMID 14702307
2. "Shigella." U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 14 June 2006. Department of Health and Human Services. 30 Apr. 2007 <http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap19.html>.
3. Yang, Fan, Jian Yang, Xiaobing Zhang, and Yan Jiang. "Genome Dynamics and Diversity of Shigella Species, the Etiologic Agents of Bacillary Dysentery." Nucleic Acids Research 33 (2005): 6445-6458. Oxford University Press. 2 May 2007.
4. "Shigellosis." CDC. 13 Oct. 2005. HHS. 1 May 2007 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/shigellosis_g.htm#What%20sort%20of%20germ%20is%20Shigella>
5. Woodward, David L., Clifford G. Clark, Richard A. Caldeira, and Rafiq Ahmed. "Identification and Characterization of Shigella Boydii 20 Serovar Nov., a New and Emerging Shigella Serotype." Journal of Medical Microbiology 54 (2005): 741-748. Society of General Microbiology. 3 May 2007. <http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/54/8/741>
Edited by James Cunningham a student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano