Pathogenicity island

Pathogenicity islands (PAIs), as termed in 1990, are a distinct class of genomic islands acquired by microorganisms through horizontal gene transfer.[1][2] Pathogenicity islands are found in both animal and plant pathogens.[2] Additionally, PAIs are found in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.[2] They are transferred through horizontal gene transfer events such as transfer by a plasmid, phage, or conjugative transposon.[3] Therefore, PAIs contribute to microorganisms' ability to evolve.

One species of bacteria may have more than one PAI. For example, Salmonella has at least five.[citation needed]

An analogous genomic structure in rhizobia is termed a symbiosis island.

  1. ^ Hacker, J; Bender, L; Ott, M; et al. (1990). "Deletions of chro- mosomal regions coding for fimbriae and hemolysins occur in vivo and in vitro in various extraintestinal Escherichia coli iso- lates". Microb. Pathog. 8 (3): 213–25. doi:10.1016/0882-4010(90)90048-U. PMID 1974320.
  2. ^ a b c Hacker, J; Kaper, JB (2000). "Pathogenicity islands and the evolution of microbes". Annu Rev Microbiol. 54: 641–679. doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.54.1.641. PMID 11018140. S2CID 1945976.
  3. ^ Hacker, J.; Blum-Oehler, G.; Muhldorfer, I.; Tschape, H. (1997). "Pathogenecity islands of virulent bacteria: structure, function and impact on microbial evolution". Molecular Microbiology. 23 (6): 1089–1097. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2958.1997.3101672.x. PMID 9106201. S2CID 27524815.