Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2006
Abstract
Rickettsia felis, the etiologic agent of spotted fever, is maintained in cat fleas by vertical transmission and resembles other tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae. In the present study, we utilized an Ixodes scapularis-derived tick cell line, ISE6, to achieve isolation and propagation of R. felis. A cytopathic effect of increased vacuolization was commonly observed in R. felis-infected cells, while lysis of host cells was not evident despite large numbers of rickettsiae. Electron microscopy identified rickettsia-like organisms in ISE6 cells, and sequence analyses of portions of the citrate synthase (gltA), 16S rRNA, Rickettsia genus-specific 17-kDa antigen, and spotted fever group-specific outer membrane protein A (ompA) genes and, notably, R. felis conjugative plasmids indicate that this cultivatable strain (LSU) was R. felis. Establishment of R. felis (LSU) in a tick-derived cell line provides an alternative and promising system for the expansion of studies investigating the interactions between R. felis and arthropod hosts. Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
First Page
5589
Last Page
5595
Recommended Citation
Pornwiroon, W., Pourciau, S., Foil, L., & Macaluso, K. (2006). Rickettsia felis from cat fleas: Isolation and culture in a tick-derived cell line. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 72 (8), 5589-5595. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00532-06
