Neorickettsia risticii

Ex. Potomac Horse Fever

Characteristics of the symbiont/pathogen

Neorickettsia risticii is a member of the Erlichiaea family of bacteria. It is a gram-negative, coccus, and obligate bacterium.

The genome for Neorickettsia risticii was fully sequenced in 2009. The Neorickettsia risticii strain sequenced was the Illinois strain, which consists of one circular chromosome that has 879,977 base pairs, with a GC content of 41.3%. This chromosome encodes for 38 different RNA species and 898 different proteins.

Characteristics of the host

What host/s is/are involved? Is there host specificity? Are there secondary reservoirs?

Life Cycle of Potomac Horse Fever [1]

Host-Symbiont Interaction

What kind of interaction do host and symbiont have? How is the host affected by the relationship? How does the host acquire and transmit the symbiont? Is the interaction obligate or facultative?

Molecular Insights into the Symbiosis

Describe molecular/genetic studies on the symbiosis.

Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects

What is the evolutionary history of the interaction? Do particular environmental factors play a role in regulating the symbiosis?

Recent Discoveries

Describe two findings on the symbiosis published within the last two years.

References

[Sample reference] [[2] Seemanapalli SV, Xu Q, McShan K, Liang FT. 2010. Outer surface protein C is a dissemination-facilitating factor of Borrelia burgdorferi during mammalian infection. PLoS One 5:e15830.]

Edited by [Sierra Wangensteen], students of Grace Lim-Fong