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) gram negative bacterium. Generally, Shigella bacteria are catagorized as belonging to the same species as 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 diarrhea and Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) through oral-fecal transmission. Less than 10% of foodborne illnesses are attributed to Shigella bacteria in the United States.2
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>.
Edited by James Cunningham a student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano