The TIGR team repeated an analysis reported three months ago with the publication of the human genome sequences. The conclusion of that study in Nature is that humans have acquired 223 genes from bacteria, some of which may have been transferred to vertebrates during bacterial infections. For the reanalysis, Salzberg's team used the set of proteins from the publicly funded genome sequence, but they also screened proteins predicted by the Celera human genome sequence for matches with bacterial proteins that are not present in other species. However, I could not argue that they are there due to lateral gene transfer. The transfer of genes horizontally, or laterally, between species is a well-documented phenomenon in nature.
Bacteria can transfer genes to other bacteria.
And mitochondria, organelles in human cells that once were free-living bacteria, have transferred genes to humans. But there is no strong evidence that bacteria genes have been transferred to vertebrates, say many evolutionary biologists. But when I saw the statement, I knew the number was wrong. Those of us in the field have seen these claims before. Furthermore, TIGR's research methods are sound.