''Shigella boydii'' is a
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...
bacterium
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...
of the genus ''
Shigella
''Shigella'' is a genus of bacteria that is Gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, non–spore-forming, nonmotile, rod shaped, and is genetically nested within ''Escherichia''. The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who discovered it in 1 ...
''. Like other members of the genus, ''S. boydii'' is a non
motile
Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently using metabolic energy. This biological concept encompasses movement at various levels, from whole organisms to cells and subcellular components.
Motility is observed in animals, mi ...
, nonsporeforming, rod-shaped bacterium which can cause
dysentery
Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...
in humans through
fecal-oral contamination.
''Shigella boydii'' is the most genetically divergent species of the genus ''Shigella''. There are 19 known
serotype
A serotype or serovar is a distinct variation within a species of bacteria or virus or among immune cells of different individuals. These microorganisms, viruses, or Cell (biology), cells are classified together based on their shared reactivity ...
s of ''Shigella boydii''.
''S. boydii'' is restricted to the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
.
The species is named after the British bacteriologist
John Boyd.
Sequenced genomes
*''Shigella boydii'' strain BS512 (serotype 18; group 1) has one chromosome and five
plasmid
A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria and ...
s.
References
External links
''Shigella boydii'' Genome Project Page— by
Entrez
The Entrez () Global Query Cross-Database Search System is a federated search engine, or web portal that allows users to search many discrete health sciences databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. The NCB ...
*
Type strain of ''Shigella boydii'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Enterobacteriaceae
Waterborne diseases
Bacteria described in 1949
{{Enterobacterales-stub