Rickettsia asembonensis strain:NMRCii Genome sequencing and assembly. Rickettsia asembonensis strain:NMRCii

A novel rickettsial agent strain NMRCii was isolated from cat fleas. Isolation of Rickettsia sp. NMRCii was performed using an C6/36 cell line at 25°C in Schneider’s Drosophila medium supplemented with 5% or 10% heat inactivated fetal bovine serum. It was characterized using genotypic methods by comparison of rrs gene and 5 other rickettsial genes. This analysis showed that strain NMRCii was closely related to Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis isolate F30 and isolate F82, previously detected in cat and dog fleas.These isolates belong within the genus Rickettsia, with Rickettsia felis URRWXCal2 as their nearest phylogenetic neighbor and represents a new species, for which the name Rickettsia asemboensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain as NMRCii.