Rickettsial infections, bartonella infections, and coxiellosis

Abstract

About 20 years ago, various diseases caused by bacteria Rickettsia, Orientia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Coxiella, and Bartonella were all denominated as rickettsial infections. Nowadays, based on genetic analysis, these bacteria are reorganized and considered as distinct entities. The order Rickettsiales includes at the moment two families: Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae, and the family Bartonellaceae, as well as Coxiella burnetii, are no more considered rickettsiae. Diseases caused by bacteria from the Anaplasmataceae family are presented in Chap. 15, and here diseases caused by Rickettsia and Orientia are presented. Although Bartonella spp. and Coxiella spp. are not anymore considered rickettsial disease, they are often still studied within the field of rickettsiology and thus are also presented here.