Rickettsia tamurae sp. nov., isolated from Amblyomma testudinarium ticks

Abstract

Rickettsiasp. strain AT-1^Twas isolated fromAmblyomma testudinariumticks in Japan in 1993. Comparative analysis of sequences obtained from 16S rRNA,gltA,ompA,ompBandsca4gene fragments demonstrated those from AT-1^Tto be markedly different from those of other members of the spotted fever group. Using mouse serotyping, it was also observed thatRickettsiasp. strain AT-1^Twas different from otherRickettsiaspecies with validly published names. Such genotypic and phenotypic characteristics warrant its classification as a representative of a novel species, for which the nameRickettsia tamuraesp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain AT-1^T(=CSUR R1^T).