Abstract
Why would one want to sequence the genomes of 94 additional, mostly soil and water isolates of Bacillus cereus sensu lato (1)? The answer is of course to be able to make a rapid analysis during a bioterrorism event, to develop a portable kit for the rapid identification of anthrax spores (by proteomic analysis), and to determine their precise origin (by means of DNA genomic polymorphisms). The draft genome sequences of 94 environmental Bacillus cereus sensu lato strains were deposited in GenBank (1) to facilitate the identification of the closely related subspecies B. cereus, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus mycoides, and Bacillus thuringiensis and toxicity determinants. Strains of this species often harbor pathogenicity plasmids and show different envirotypes and pathotypes.
Highlights
Why would one want to sequence the genomes of 94 additional, mostly soil and water isolates of Bacillus cereus sensu lato [1]? The answer is to be able to make a rapid analysis during a bioterrorism event, to develop a portable kit for the rapid identification of anthrax spores, and to determine their precise origin
There were already numerous related genome deposits made in GenBank over the last 10 years [3, 4], both as draft genomes as those mentioned here and as complete genomes, some with published reports and comparative analyses [5,6,7]
There are 11 complete genomes and 17 draft genomes deposited for B. thuringiensis; for B. cereus, 13 complete genomes are listed, including one labeled as “biovar anthracis,” and an additional 31 draft genomes before this added 94, for a total of 195 available genomes
Summary
Why would one want to sequence the genomes of 94 additional, mostly soil and water isolates of Bacillus cereus sensu lato [1]? The answer is to be able to make a rapid analysis during a bioterrorism event, to develop a portable kit for the rapid identification of anthrax spores (by proteomic analysis), and to determine their precise origin (by means of DNA genomic polymorphisms). Some of these nonclinical environmental isolates harbor homologs to the B. anthracis anthrax pathogenicity plasmids pXO1 (192 kb) and pXO2 (96 kb) [2]. The presence of these plasmids is noted by Van der Auwera et al [1] but not listed in the corresponding GenBank deposits.
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