A possibly new Rickettsia-like genus symbiont is found in Chinese wheat pest aphid, Sitobion miscanthi (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

In this study, we investigated Rickettsia infection in Chinese wheat pest aphid (Sitobion miscanthi), moreover detected a possibly new Rickettsia-like symbiont, provisionally named as SMLS1 (S. miscanthi L type symbiont). The sequence of SMLS 16S rRNA gene is 94% similar to that of its presumed closest relative. Orientia tsutsugamushi. If levels of divergence indicate taxonomic distinctiveness, SMLS probably represents a new genus in the family Rickettsiaceae. SMLS occurs in most populations of S. miscanthi, and with divergent infection frequencies, from 5.0% to 93.8%. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.