ABSTRACT
The history and biodiversity of prokaryotes is accumulated, expressed and propagated in the prokaryotic genome . . . and prokaryotic biodiversity includes LPS heterogeneity . . .
INTRODUCTION
This chapter is an overview of the recent changes in theway prokaryotes are viewed, particularly correcting the static models of the past with regard to the heterogeneity, community, and interaction of bacteria and their endotoxins, especially the way they interact with host systems. As Chapter 4 presented the static model for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a function of its existence in a model organism: Escherichia coli (EC), this chapter presents examples of the overwhelming diversity that has been found in various organisms. Nothing is quite sacred anymore as the conspiracy of contaminants has blurred the lines of demarcation between the members of Prokaryotes, the weapons at their disposal, and their interaction with one another as well as with their hosts and various environments. The changes include a continuum of heretofore-unknown capacities of individual species to modify the structure of their endotoxins and evade and overpower host defenses.
