Query: NC_007354:756500 Ehrlichia canis str. Jake, complete genome
Lineage: Ehrlichia canis; Ehrlichia; Anaplasmataceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated in 1989 in North Carolina, USA from a 2-year-old male dog. This organisms causes canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, which is a tick-born disease that causes severe morbidity in domesticated and wild dogs. The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, transfers the organism from its salivary glands to the animal when feeding. Persistence in the vacuole leads to replication and cell division and eventual release from the cell which leads to further spreading of the bacterium throughout the host. The end result is an increase in platelet count and anemia.
Subject: NC_010793:794494 Orientia tsutsugamushi str. Ikeda, complete genome
Lineage: Orientia tsutsugamushi; Orientia; Rickettsiaceae; Rickettsiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This organism is the causative agent of scrub typhus, and like other members of the Rickettsiales is an obligate intracellular organism. Scrub typhus, which occurs in rural and agricultural areas, is one of the most common infectious diseases in southeast Asia where an estimated 1 million cases occur each year. Many cases are mild, but if left untreated, a variety of serious illnesses can arise and fatality rates can range from 1-35%. Transmission occurs via an insect vector through the bite of the larval trombiculid mite (chiggers). The bacterium is transmitted transovarially in mites (from females to their offspring).