Insights from the comparative genome analysis of natural rubber degrading species.

are known to be a facultative human pathogen and can cause infection in immune compromised patients. Though the details research on the virulence factors of are scanty but numerous genes that code such factors were reported from different species of . Despite of the presence of several virulence factors, species of this genus have been shown to have role in remediation of many toxic and hazardous materials from the environment. In this study, genome sequences of rubber degrading sp. BSTN01 and N.nova SH22a have been analyzed to locate the potential virulence genes. Also, the genomes of facultative pathogenic like, , , , and have been analyzed to find the gene encoding latex clearing protein (Lcp), a rubber oxygenase enzyme of Gram-positive action bacteria. The study provides an insight about the potentiality of rubberdegrading species to emerge as future human pathogens and also the probability of a serious concern if the studied facultative pathogens of like , , , and are capable of degrading rubber, a regularly used material in clinics. Moreover, use of such possible pathogenic strains for their known role in bioremediation of rubber waste from the environment might be deleterious.