Rickettsiae in Bio-controls of Crop Pest
Rickettsiae have comparable size of 0.2×0.3 to 3.0 um and obligate intracellular development and their susceptibility to antibiotics indicates similarity to bacterial cell walls and contains both RNA and DNA in ratio of 3:1. The Rickettsiae develop and multiply on the cell cytoplasm where they fill the vacuolar areas. In ticks, they develop in cell nuclei, the two genera of this group are important.
1) Enterella:
The Enterella spp. grows only intra-cellularly in the gut epithelium of the host and destroys it.
2) Rickettsiella:
These species primarily attack the fat body and blood cells but may also cause generalized infection. Rickettsiella popillae cause infection by a greenish blue discolouration of fat body.