Growth of Cowdria ruminantium, the causative agent of heartwater, in a tick cell line

The tick-borne rickettsia Cowdria ruminantium has been propagated continuously for over 500 days in the Ixodes scapularis tick cell line IDES by using the Gardel isolate from bovine endothelial cells as an inoculum, Infection of the tick cells was confirmed by PCR, karyotyping, electron microscopy, and reinfection of bovine cells.