Symbiotic Bacteria Associated with Stomach Discs of Human Lice

Symbiotic bacteria associated with stomach discs of human lice.

The symbiotic bacteria associated with the stomach disc, a large aggregate of bacteriocytes on the ventral side of the midgut, of human body and head lice were characterized. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the symbionts formed a distinct and well-defined clade in the Gammaproteobacteria. The sequences exhibited AT-biased nucleotide composition and acceler...

Symbiotic Bacteria Associated with Cultivated and Wild Legumes

Symbiotic production of phenolsulfatase by human gingival bacteria.

Evolution of Symbiotic Bacteria in the Distal Human Intestine

The adult human intestine contains trillions of bacteria, representing hundreds of species and thousands of subspecies. Little is known about the selective pressures that have shaped and are shaping this community's component species, which are dominated by members of the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes divisions. To examine how the intestinal environment affects microbial genome evolution, we hav...

Human Lice

Pm 1156 | Revised | May 1998 There are three species of lice that can at times infest humans— the head louse, the body louse, and the crab or pubic louse. These pests belong to the group called sucking lice and, as their name implies, feed by sucking blood from a host. The feeding activity of these lice produces a considerable amount of personal discomfort and skin irritation that may cause itc...