Pathogen Sequencing May Aid Research on Fatal Infections

A leading bacterial plant pathogen has been sequenced that is related to a bacterium blamed for fatal lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients and acute infections in burn patients, and is expected to aid the efforts of researchers in those areas. The sequencing was reported in the August 18 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The sequencing of the plant pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae, is expected to help farmers repress tomato speck and other plant diseases and to help environmentalists understand how the bacterium can live in soil and dine on toxic waste. However, the P syringae sequencing will be particularly helpful to scientists studying P aeruginosa, a bacterial cousin that causes chronic and fatal lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients and acute infections in cancer and burn patients. Comparison of the genomes will help researchers understand how these bacteria have adapted to their hosts and could reveal weak points to target with new therapies.

"Understanding this genome connects us to a larger world of bacterial pathogens,” said principal investigator Alan Collmer, professor of plant pathology at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA; www.cornell.edu). "It puts all of the pieces on the table, it shows us that many parts of the puzzle are the same for plant and animal pathogens, and it enables scientists to put the pieces together more efficiently.”




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