Rickettsia conorii transcriptional response within inoculation eschar.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rickettsia conorii, the causative agent of the Mediterranean spotted fever, is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The skin thus constitutes an important barrier for the entry and propagation of R. conorii. Given this, analysis of the survival strategies used by the bacterium within infected skin is critical for our understanding of rickettsiosis.

Methodology/principal findings

Here, we report the first genome-wide analysis of R. conorii gene expression from infected human skin biopsies. Our data showed that R. conorii exhibited a striking transcript signature that is remarkably conserved across patients, regardless of genotype. The expression profiles obtained using custom Agilent microarrays were validated by quantitativ

SUBMITTER: Renesto P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2577010 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature