Molecular evolution and diversity in Bacillus anthracis as detected by amplified fragment length polymorphism markers

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were utilized to determine the phylogenetic relationship between Bacillus anthracis and related Bacillus species. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of the Bacillus genome with AFLP markers indicated the presence of low levels of molecular variation in Bacillus anthracis due to low rates of evolution that restricted the generation of molecular diversity. Furthermore, genomic analysis indicated the close phylogenetic relationship between Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus.