Enterobacter sakazakii
Enterobacter sakazakii
Habitat
Enterobacter species are found in natural environments (water, sewage, soil, vegetables). Some species are found in human and animal species, but the strains are not usually enteric pathogens, though they can be occasional opportunistic pathogens. Enterobacter sakazakii is rarely encountered in clinical specimens, and is more prevalent in the environment and in food. However, Enterobacter sakazakii is strongly implicated in foodborne diseases causing severe meningitis or enteritis, especially in neonates and infants (Nazarowec-White and Farber, Int J Food Microbiol. 1997 Feb;34(2):103-13). E. sakazakii was isolated with varying frequency from milk powder, cereals, and other sources, indicating that it is widespread. Stationary phase E. sakazakii cells are remarkably resistant to osmotic and drying stresses compared with other species of the Enterobacteriacae; this may explain its long term survival in foods, with its resulting risk to neonates fed infant formula.
Biology
Enterobacter species grow rapidly on the usual enteric media. E. sakazakii strains form bright yellow colonies at 25C, and pale yellow colonies at 37C. A wide range of colony morphologies (smooth, mucoid, dry) is displayed by E. sakazakii strains.
Sequencing Plan
The strain of Enterobacter sakazakii being sequenced was isolated from powdered milk formula fed to a hospitalized neonate that developed an infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). It is available from the American Type Culture Collection as ATCC BAA-894 or from the Salmonella Genetic Stock Centre as SGSC4695. The genome is being sequenced to 8X coverage, using plasmid and fosmid libraries, and will be finished to an error rate of less than 1 per 10,000 bases. Automated annotation will be performed and manual annotation will continue in the labs of Michael McClelland and Kenneth Sanderson. This project is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Patrick Minx | The Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine |
| Michael McClelland | Cancer Genetics Program, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center |
| Kenneth Sanderson | Salmonella Genetic Stock Centre, University of Calgary |
Sequences & Maps
Assemblies
| Name | Date | Description | Blast DBs |
| Enterobacter_sakazakii-2.0 | Feb 02, 2006 | 6.1X | contigs supercontigs |
| Enterobacter_sakazakii-3.0 | Apr 03, 2006 | 6.2X | contigs supercontigs |
| Enterobacter_sakazakii-4.0 | May 07, 2006 | 6.4X | contigs supercontigs |
