Query: NC_016930:943000 Rickettsia philipii str. 364D chromosome, complete genome
Lineage: Rickettsia philipii; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria mostly found in arthropods, some of which cause mild to severe diseases in humans. Spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) cause disease in humans. R .philippi strain 364D, an SFGR, was isolated in 1966 from Dermacentor occidentalis ticks collected in Ventura county, California, and since then 364D has been detected in up to 11% of D. occidentalis from 8 California counties. It has now been recognized as causing eschar-associated illness.
Subject: NC_009881:896007 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.