Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Aug 6;13(8):661.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens13080661.

Rickettsia Species: Genetic Variability, Vectors, and Rickettsiosis-A Review

Anna Rymaszewska  1 , Mariusz Piotrowski  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Rickettsia Species: Genetic Variability, Vectors, and Rickettsiosis-A Review

Anna Rymaszewska et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Rickettsiae are an interesting group of bacteria comprising a large number of obligate intracellular species. The circulation of these bacteria in the environment depends on the presence of vectors (blood-sucking invertebrates) and their hosts. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses in 2022, a division into five groups of Rickettsia has been proposed: I belli group, II canadensis group, III typhus group, and IV and V spotted group fever (respectively II, phylogenetically older, and I). The genus Rickettsia includes species that are both pathogenic and nonpathogenic to humans and domestic and wild animals. Some Rickettsia species are invertebrate symbionts. Currently, rickettsiae, which are transmitted mainly by ticks, are spreading worldwide. This has been promoted by climate change, environmental changes caused by humans, and the synanthropisation of plants and animals. Therefore, it is extremely important to monitor the natural and urban environments. The study of potential vectors and reservoirs of bacteria in the genus Rickettsia should be a permanent part of the analysis of the modern human environment.

Keywords: genetic diversity; rickettsiae; tick-borne diseases; vectors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The scheme for classification of rickettsial isolates. The percentage value corresponds to similarity within the genus or species. Detailed explanations in text (Section 2).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Faccini-Martínez Á.A., García-Álvarez L., Hidalgo M., Oteo J.A. Syndromic classification of rickettsioses: An approach for clinical practice. Int. J. Infect. Dis. 2014;28:126–139. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.05.025. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Davison H.R., Pilgrim J., Wybouw N., Parker J., Pirro S., Hunter-Barnett S., Campbell P.M., Blow F., Darby A.C., Hurst G.D., et al. Genomic diversity across the Rickettsia and ‘Candidatus Megaira’ genera and proposal of genus status for the Torix group. Nat. Commun. 2022;13:2630. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30385-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chaorattanakawee S., Korkusol A., Tippayachai B., Promsathaporn S., Poole-Smith B.K., Takhampunya R. Amplicon-Based Next Generation Sequencing for rapid identification of Rickettsia and ectoparasite species from entomological surveillance in Thailand. Pathogens. 2021;10:215. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10020215. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stewart A.G., Stewart A.G.A. An update on the laboratory diagnosis of Rickettsia spp. infection. Pathogens. 2021;10:1319. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10101319. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Merhej V., Raoult D. Rickettsial evolution in the light of comparative genomics. Biol. Rev. 2011;86:379–405. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-185X.2010.00151.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources