User talk:DusmanK
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus DusmanK
Classification
Higher order taxa
Domain: Bacteria Phylum: Firmicutes Class: Cocci Order: Lactobacillales Family: Streptococcaceae
Species
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Description and significance
Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why you think it is important.
Genome structure
The genome for S. pneumoniae is comprised of 2,160,837 base pairs within a single circular chromosome. There are 39.7% GC base pairs in the genome, resulting in 60.3% AT base pairs also present. The genome was figured out by using a random shotgun sequencing technique. They were able to sequence the genome by taking a clinical isolate from the blood of a 30-year-old, male patient. There are 2236 genes that comprise the genome, and of these, 1155 are situated to the right of the replication fork, and 1081 genes are located to the left. There were 1440 predicted proteins that encode for biological roles, 359 that encode for unknown function, and 437 were not able to matched. The genome is also rich in insertion sequences, which comprise of about 5% of the genome.
Cell structure and metabolism
Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.
Ecology
Habitat; symbiosis; contributions to the environment.
Pathology
There are many different types of infections that S. pneumoniae causes in humans. These include pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pericarditis, and arthritis. One of the most commonly caused diseases from S. pneumoniae is pneumonia. This bacterial is naturally apart of the human flora in the respiratory tract. However, at high levels the bacteria may cause what is known as strep pneumonia or pneumococcal pneumonia. Depending on the strain of bacteria, the induced pneumnia can have a fatality rate up to 30% of patients diagnosed.
Once this bacteria is embedded in the lung macropahges and neutrophils have a hard time engulfing the bacteria in order to get rid of it because of the surrounding protective capsule. Researchers found that some strains of S. pneumonia were much more pathogenic than others, and the attributed this to the fact that the strains had different capsule build ups. This is related to the type of glycoproteins and polysaccharides that make up the capsule. Many of the infections that S. pneumoniae causes occur in fluid filled areas. The pili attached to the surface of the bacterial cells help to anchor the bacterial cell into place.
Current Research and or Application to Biotechnology
Enter summaries of the most recent research and/or application to biotechnology here--at least three required
References
Edited by student of Dr. Lynn M Bedard, DePauw University http://www.depauw.edu
