The role and mechanism of erythrocyte invasion by Francisella tularensis

Francisella tularensis, is an extremely virulent bacterium that can be transmitted naturally by blood sucking arthropods. During mammalian infection, F. tularensis infects numerous types of host cells, including erythrocytes. As erythrocytes do not undergo phagocytosis or endocytosis, it remains unknown how F. tularensis invades these cells. Furthermore, the consequence of inhabiting the intracellular space of red blood cells has not been determined. Here, we provide evidence indicating that residing within an erythrocyte enhances the ability of F. tularensis to colonize ticks following a blood meal. Overall design: mRNA profiles of F. tularensis with and without human erythrocyte exposure (5 replicates of each) were generated using high-throughput sequencing on an Illumina HiSeq 1500 in a 2X50 bp paired-end strategy