Ehrlichia
| Ehrlichia | |
|---|---|
| Ehrlichia ewingii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Alphaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Rickettsiales |
| Family: | Ehrlichiaceae |
| Genus: | Ehrlichia Moshkovski 1945 (Approved Lists 1980) |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
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Ehrlichia is a genus of Rickettsiales bacteria that are transmitted to vertebrates by ticks. These bacteria cause the disease ehrlichiosis, which is considered zoonotic, because the main reservoirs for the disease are animals.
Ehrlichia species are obligately intracellular pathogens and are transported between cells through the host cell filopodia during initial stages of infection, whereas in the final stages of infection, the pathogen ruptures the host cell membrane.