Rickettsia rickettsii

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Rickettsia rickettsii

Tick hemolymph cells infected with Rickettsia rickettsii. Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever info page from the CDC.

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Alpha Proteobacteria; Rickettsiales; Rickettsiaceae; Spotted fever group

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Rickettsia rickettsii

Other Names

synonym: Dermacentroxenus rickettsii
synonym: "Dermacentroxenus rickettsii" Wolbach 1919
synonym: Rickettsia rickettsii (Wolbach 1919) Brumpt 1922

Description and significance

Rickettsia rickettsii is a small, rod-shaped bacterium known to cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). This disease can be transmitted to humans either from a tick bite with an incubation period of 1 week, or by contamination of a cut on the skin or a wound with ticks feces. Dr. Ricketts first isolated this microbe in Montana, 1906. [2] [4]

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Genome structure

Genes: 1311 Length: 1,257,710 nt Protein coding: 1311 Structural RNAs: None GC Content: 32% % Coding: 77% Pseudo genes: None Topology: other Molecule: DNA Completed 02/06/2004[3]

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Cell structure and metabolism

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Ecology

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Pathology

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Application to Biotechnology

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Current Research

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References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

1) NCBI Taxonomy Browser "Rickettsia Rickettsii" Retrieved 26 August, 2007

Edited by Amber Chou; student of Rachel Larsen