ArticleBMC biology2009
Evolution and diversity of Rickettsia bacteria.
Article in BMC biology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 180 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
180 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 406 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of Tick Infection with Bartonella in China: A Review and Meta-analysis.Acta parasitologica · 2024Pooled it
- Genomic evolution and adaptation of arthropod-associated Rickettsia.Scientific reports · 2022Pooled it
- A veritable menagerie of heritable bacteria from ants, butterflies, and beyond: broad molecular surveys and a systematic review.PloS one · 2012Pooled it
- Rickettsial Diseases and Vaccines: Is There an Opportunity for Plant-Made Vaccine Technology?Biotechnology and bioengineering · 2026Review
- A rare case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis in southern Iran: diagnostic challenges and review.Infection · 2026Review
- Pangenomic and genomic plasticity analyses of the genus Rickettsia.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2026Article
- Analysis of the genomes of a male-killingMicrobial genomics · 2026Article
- Assessment of the Pathogenicity ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Low-Cost, High-Fat Diet Effectively Induces Obesity and Metabolic Alterations and Diet Normalization Modulates Microbiota in C57BL/6 Mice.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Mitogenomics of the tropical bont tick Amblyomma variegatum reveals vertical and horizontal transmission of Rickettsia africae.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Within-host bacterial evolution and the emergence of pathogenicity.Nature microbiology · 2025Review
- From Macro to Micro: De Novo Genomes of Aedes Mosquitoes Enable Comparative Genomics Among Close and Distant Relatives.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Article
- From insect endosymbiont to phloem colonizer: comparative genomics unveils the lifestyle transition of phytopathogenicmSystems · 2025Article
- A dual insect symbiont and plant pathogen improves insect host fitness under arginine limitation.mBio · 2025Article
- Impact of a tropical monsoon climate on formaldehyde exposure and microbial contamination in anatomy dissection hall.PloS one · 2025Article
- Whole genome sequence and comparative genomic analysis of novel Rickettsia koreansis strain CNH17-7 isolated from human.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2024Article
- Friendly fungi: Tropical insect families form partnerships with intracellular fungi related to pathogens.iScience · 2024Article
- Review
- Reassessment of the genetic basis of natural rifampin resistance in the genus Rickettsia.MicrobiologyOpen · 2024Article
120 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRickettsia are intracellular symbionts of eukaryotes that are best known for infecting and causing serious diseases in humans and other mammals. All known vertebrate-associated Rickettsia are vectored by arthropods as part of their life-cycle, and many other Rickettsia are found exclusively in arthropods with no known secondary host. However, little is known about the biology of these latter strains. Here, we have identified 20 new strains of Rickettsia from arthropods, and constructed a multi-gene phylogeny of the entire genus which includes these new strains.
resultsWe show that Rickettsia are primarily arthropod-associated bacteria, and identify several novel groups within the genus. Rickettsia do not co-speciate with their hosts but host shifts most often occur between related arthropods. Rickettsia have evolved adaptations including transmission through vertebrates and killing males in some arthropod hosts. We uncovered one case of horizontal gene transfer among Rickettsia, where a strain is a chimera from two distantly related groups, but multi-gene analysis indicates that different parts of the genome tend to share the same phylogeny.
conclusionApproximately 150 million years ago, Rickettsia split into two main clades, one of which primarily infects arthropods, and the other infects a diverse range of protists, other eukaryotes and arthropods. There was then a rapid radiation about 50 million years ago, which coincided with the evolution of life history adaptations in a few branches of the phylogeny. Even though Rickettsia are thought to be primarily transmitted vertically, host associations are short lived with frequent switching to new host lineages. Recombination throughout the genus is generally uncommon, although there is evidence of horizontal gene transfer. A better understanding of the evolution of Rickettsia will help in the future to elucidate the mechanisms of pathogenicity, transmission and virulence.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.