We completed the genome sequence analysis of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, the causative agent of swine erysipelas. The E. rhusiopathiae genome is one of the smallest genomes (1,787,941 bp) in the phylum Firmicutes. It displays a complete loss of fatty acid biosynthesis pathways and lacks genes for the biosynthesis of many amino acids, cofactors, and vitamins, indicating reductive genome evolution. The genome encodes nine antioxidant factors and nine phospholipases, which facilitate intracellular survival in phagocytes.
(Bacterial and Parasitic Disease Research Division)
References:
Ogawa Y. et al (2011) J. Bacteriol. 193(12):2959-2971
