Bartonella isolated from rodents living in the Negev Desert sand dunes

Bartonella bacteria are widespread parasites that infect humans and other mammalian hosts. This project sequenced the genomes of diverse Bartonella isolated from natural rodent populations that live in the sand dunes of the Negev Desert in Israel. The study goals were to characterize genetic mechanisms that these parasites have evolved to rapidly generate variation that allows them to avoid immune responses and infect new hosts.