title: Pathogenicity islands: the tip of the iceberg.
abstract: Pathogenicity islands represent distinct genetic elements encoding virulence factors of pathogenic bacteria. Pathogenicity islands belong to the class of genomic islands, which are common genetic elements sharing a set of unifying features. Genomic islands have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer. In recent years many different genomic islands have been discovered in a variety of pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic bacteria. Because they promote genetic variability, genomic islands play an important role in microbial evolution.
authors: Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Hentschel
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Hacker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004463:Ecology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics