EuPathDB represents a unified entry point for the NIH-funded Apicomplexan Bioinformatics Resource Center (BRC) that integrates numerous database resources and multiple data types. The phylum Apicomplexa comprises numerous veterinary and medically important parasitic protozoa including human pathogenic species of the genera Cryptosporidium, Plasmodium, Giardia, Trichomonas, and Toxoplasma. EuPathDB serves not only as a database in its own right, but as a single web-based point of entry that unifies access to three major existing individual organism databases (PlasmoDB, ToxoDB and CryptoDB), and integrates these databases with data available from additional sources. Through the EuPathDB site, users may pose queries and search all available apicomplexan data and tools, or they may visit individual component organism databases.

The Biodefense and Public Health Database (BioHealthBase) Bioinformatics Resource Center (BRC) provides a comprehensive genomic and proteomic data repository for five pathogenic organisms from a select subset of Category A - C pathogens that pose a threat to public health. The pathogens include Francisella tularensis bacteria; Influenza (flu) virus; Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) bacteria and Microsporidia parasites as well as information about Ricin toxin from the plant Ricinus communis. The organisms were selected to represent a cross-section of the major groups of human pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, protozoan parasites and plants (toxins).The BioHealthBase BRC provides an analysis platform and appropriate tools and resources to facilitate the development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for these pathogens.

The Enteropathogen Resource Integration Center (ERIC) BRC project is funded to cover five enterobacterial pathogens: diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, and Yersinia pestis. The primary objective for ERIC will be to provide integrated access to both data and analysis tools. As much as possible, ERIC will adapt an Open Source software approach and will emphasize integration and reuse of existing tools, for the single greatest problem in bioinformatics remains the need to integrate data and tools to work together seamlessly. The goals for this BRC are straightforward - ERIC intends to provide the best annotated enterobacterial genomes and information available, accessed through a comprehensive, easy to use, open web portal uniting biological data and analysis tools.

The National Microbial Pathogen Data Resource (NMPDR) is a NIAID-funded Bioinformatics Resource Center that supports research in selected Category B pathogens. NMPDR contains the complete genomes of ~50 strains of pathogenic bacteria that are the focus of our curators, as well as >400 other genomes that provide a broad context for comparative analysis across the three phylogenetic Domains.

As an NIAID Bioinformatics Resource Center (BRC) Pathema contains in depth curatorial analysis of six target organisms from the list of NIAID category A-C pathogens. Pathema also offers single-genome and comparative multi-genome analyses as well as display tools at the genome, gene, and pathway level for these pathogens.

New! Comparative Genomic Region Display & Tutorial - Example: Pathema-Bacillus
New! Synteny Gradient Display & Tutorial - Example: Pathema-Bacillus
New! Clostox: Clostridium Toxin Database
New! SRI Pathema Pathway Tools
New! Enhanced Intergenics - Example: Pathema-Burkholderia
New! Enhanced Motif Search - Example: Pathema-Burkholderia

Announcement! Burkholderia Annotation Jamboree & JCVI Sept 24th - 26th

PATRIC, the PathoSystems Resource Integration Center, is a multi-faceted bioinformatic website containing genomic and associated information on the eight important human pathogens. This project seeks to integrate genomics with comparative genomics and pathway analysis and ultimately proteomics, transcriptomics, immune epitope mapping, host-response and other downstream technologies. The goal is to help researchers and clinicians better detect and respond to biothreat agents (and infectious diseases in general) by facilitating the development of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. This requires access to comprehensive information on the molecular biology, physiology and pathogenicity of these organisms.

The Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center (VBRC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Victoria, and Columbia University provides bioinformatics resources to support scientific research directed at viruses belonging to the Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Poxviridae, and Togaviridae families. The Center consists of a relational database and web application that support the data storage, annotation, analysis, and information exchange goals of this work. Each data release contains the complete genomic sequences for all viral pathogens and related strains that are available for species in the above list of virus families. In addition to sequence data, the VBRC provides a curation for each virus species, resulting in a searchable, comprehensive mini-review of gene function relating genotype to biological phenotype, with special emphasis on pathogenesis. The VBRC also provides a variety of analytical and visualization tools on its web site to aid in the understanding of the available data, including tools for genome annotation, comparative analysis, whole genome alignments, and phylogenetic analysis. Finally, an important aspect of our ongoing work is to solicit feedback from the scientific community, the goal being to enhance and extend the VBRC, thereby making it both used and useful in support of basic and applied research on these priority pathogens.

The VBRC web site is available at www.vbrc.org. Domain-specific subsets of the VBRC are available for Poxviruses, Hepatitis C viruses, and Dengue viruses. These are available from web sites customized for these viruses: www.poxvirus.org, www.HCVdb.org, and www.DengueDb.org. The University of Victoria provides a separate web site for analytical tools at http://virology.ca/. Columbia University maintains the ICTVdb web site (http://phene.cpmc.columbia.edu/) that provides access to the taxonomic and strain database of the International Committee on Taxonomy of viruses.

VectorBase is a web-accessible data repository for information about invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. VectorBase annotates and maintains vector genomes providing an integrated resource for the research community. Currently, VectorBase contains genome information for two organisms: Anopheles gambiae, a vector for the Plasmodium protozoan agent causing malaria, and Aedes aegypti, a vector for the flaviviral agents causing Yellow fever and Dengue fever.