RNA sequencing of Rickettsia felis str. LSU infecting Ctenocephalides felis and Rickettsia felis str. LSU-Lb infecting Liposcelis bostrychophila

Rickettsia felis is an emerging pathogen that has been detected in multiple arthropods. R. felis strain LSU is transmitted by the hematophagous cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. Additionally, R. felis strain LSU-Lb was isolated at LSU in the non-hematophagous booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila. In an effort to identify genes putatively required for transmission of R. felis by the cat flea, comparative transcriptomic analysis of two strains of R. felis using the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine was performed. Specifically, the transcriptome of R. felis strain LSU (infecting cat fleas) was sequenced and compared to the transcriptome of R. felis strain LSU-Lb (constitutively infecting booklice). Factors expressed by R. felis which facilitate transmission in the hematophagous cat flea will be assessed.