Rickettsia honei
This Funk Microbial Biorealm Genus template page is a guide for each student when creating and adding an entirely new species to MicrobeWiki. COPY AND PASTE this entire template (below) to set up a new page for a new species entry, then begin to fill in and edit the page. State at the bottom of the page that the page is "Authored by [your Student Name]" in front of "a student of CJ Funk at John Brown University".
Classification
Higher order taxa
Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Alphaproteobacteria; Rickettsiales; Rickettsiaceae
Species
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Rickettsia honei
Description and significance
Rickettsia honei belong the the spotted fever group (SFG), and are etiological agents of typhus and spotted fever in humans. Rickettsiae are are transmitted by lice, fleas, tick, and mites. Rickettsia honei is named after the American pathologist Howard Taylor Ricketts. Despite the name, Rickettsia spp. do not cause rickets (Greek rhakis, "spine"), a disorder of bone development caused by vitamin deficiency. The first detection of R. honei TT-118 was from a 36-year old male living in Bangkok, Thailand, who complained of febrile illness and was admitted by a nearby hospital on December 21st, 2002. Rickettsia are a genus of gram negative, rod shaped bacteria and they are short and often paired rods, 0.3-0.5 x 0.8-2.0 um. Rickettsiae retain basic fuchsin when stained by the method of Gimenez. The organisms are obligately intracellular and reside free in the cytoplasm of the eucaryotic host cell, where they divide by binary fission. Organisms of the genus Rickettsia are typically surrounded in the host cell by and electron-lucent zone that has been proposed to represent a slime layer, which is stabilized by the presence of antibodies. During the course of infection, rickettsial morphology can change: older cells can become smaller and more electron dense. SFG rickettsiae usually do not form cacuoles and crystalline structures.
Genome and genetics
a. To what major branch of the prokaryotes do they belong? (see textbook or Bergey’s). List 2-3 closely related but separate species or genera of bacteria.
b. Briefly describe any extra-chromosomal elements or genetic tools that are used to study the bacterium: viruses, plasmids, transposons that allow genetic manipulation and analysis.
c. Has the genome or genomes been sequenced? If so, include the website for the database and one or two highlights of the genome. Also indicate genome size (base pairs), %G+C (nucleotide base composition) and number of genes, and specific genes or gene regions that are unique to this organism. If it has not been sequenced, give its closest relative that has been sequenced, its website, and some general information about the related sequence.
Example: The sequence of Haemophilus influenzae was determined using whole genome shotgun sequencing (Fleischmann et al. 1995).
Nutrition and metabolism
a.Describe the growth characteristics of your bacterial species; sources of C, N, electrons; respires/ferments, uses O2, etc.
b.What kinds of culture conditions (temp, pH, media) are needed for laboratory study?
c.What kinds of waste, by-products, volatile compounds are generated?
Ecology / Pathology
Ecology: How is your microorganism important in the ecosystem where it is found? How does it impact other organisms in the environment (could be positive or negative impact)?
Pathology: How does the microbe cause disease as it interacts with the host? Describe any specific toxins or pathways that are used for invading and causing disease in the host. What treatment is used to inhibit or kill the microbe?
Current Research
Describe recent research and findings that have been done with this organism. The research can be clinical, applied or basic research. This section should be based on 2 recent papers (10 years or less) and summarized in your own words.
References
The format for citations and for the “References” list will follow the “Citation—Name” Council of Science Editors (CSE) format, as the suggested formatting method listed on the MicrobeWiki Home page. The reference list will be numbered based on an alphabetical list of the first author’s last name.
A style guide for the CSE format can be found here: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocCSE_CitationSystems.html.
For an example, see this entry: https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Bacillus_anthracis
Authored by Jessica Szuba, a student of CJ Funk at John Brown University
