Query: NC_010118:207843 Candidatus Sulcia muelleri GWSS, complete genome
Lineage: Sulcia muelleri; Sulcia; ; Flavobacteriales; Bacteroidetes; Bacteria
General Information: This organism is a gut symbiont of the Blue-Green Sharpshooter and several other leafhopper species. It synthesizes amino acids for the host, enabling the leafhopper to live on a diet of plant sap. The Blue-Green Sharpshooter is an important vector for Pierce's Disease in plants, caused by the spread of Xylella fastidiosa.
Subject: NC_009881:166500 Rickettsia akari str. Hartford, complete genome
Lineage: Rickettsia akari; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated from mites in Hartford. Causative agent of Rickettsialpox. Members of this genus, like other Rickettsial organisms such as Neorickettsia and Anaplasma, are obligate intracellular pathogens. In both groups, the bacteria are transmitted via an insect, usually a tick, to a host organism where they target endothelial cells and sometimes macrophages. They attach via an adhesin, rickettsial outer membrane protein A, and are internalized where they persist as cytoplasmically free organisms. Rickettsia akari causes a mild disease, Rickettsialpox, which is an acute fever-inducing illness transmitted by a hematophagous mite that infects the common house mouse and bites humans. Infection by this organism may be confused with anthrax due to the black eschar. This bacterium is a member of the spotted fever group of Rickettsiales and is endemic to New York, USA, but is also found in other cities in the USA, Russia, South Korea, and South Africa.