Query: NC_016893:218376 Wigglesworthia glossinidia endosymbiont of Glossina morsitans
Lineage: Wigglesworthia glossinidia; Wigglesworthia; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This organism is the obligate endosymbiont for the tsetse fly Glossina brevipalpis, Glossina tachinoides, Glossina palpalis palpalis, and Glossina austeni. The tsetse fly is a vector for African trypanosomes, and is the main transmitter of deadly diseases in animals and humans in Africa. The fly feeds on a restricted diet, exclusively consisting of vertebrate blood, and lacks certain metabolic compounds needed for survival and reproduction. To complement this lack in nutrients, the tsetse fly relies mainly on the intracellular bacterial symbiont, Wigglesworthia glossinidia for its viability and fecundity.
Subject: NC_007799:392355 Ehrlichia chaffeensis str. Arkansas, complete genome
Lineage: Ehrlichia chaffeensis; Ehrlichia; Anaplasmataceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain is the first isolate of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, which was obtained from a patient on an army base in Arkansas, USA in 1990. Causes disease in humans. This organism is an obligate intracellular pathogen that exists within vacuoles in the cytoplasm of monocytes or granulocytes. Transferred during an insect (tick) bite, it can cause disease in humans (human monocytic ehrlichiosis) and can reside in several other animals and is a problem in immunocompromised patients. The bacterium inhibits phagosome-lysozome fusion as well as programmed cell death (apoptosis) of the host cell, similar to what is observed with Anaplasma phagocytophilum.