Motivation: Sequence databases encode a wealth of information needed to develop improved vaccination and treatment strategies for the control of HIV and other important pathogens. To facilitate effective utilization of these datasets, we developed a user-friendly GDE-based LINUX interface that reduces input/output file formatting. Design and Results: GDE was adapted to the Linux operating system, bioinformatics tools were integrated with microbe-specific databases, and up-to-date GDE menus were developed for several clinically important viral, bacterial and parasitic genomes. Each microbial interface was designed for local access and contains Genbank, BLAST-formatted and phylogenetic databases. Availability: GDE-Linux is available for research purposes by direct application to the corresponding author. Application-specific menus and support files can be downloaded from (http://www.bioafrica.net) Contact: toliveira@mrc.ac.za