Many human diseases are caused by bacterial pathogens but little is known about how they emerged. EU funded researchers worked to change the status quo using Rickettsiales as a model system.
Several bacteria that are part of the Rickettsiales group are causative agents in human diseases such as typhus and ehrlichiosis. Understanding the evolutionary transition of such human pathogens from free-living bacterium could help us combat such diseases more effectively. With this in mind, the RICKOCHET (Origin and evolution of host-association and pathogenicity in the Rickettsiales) project was initiated.
Further details:
http://cordis.europa.eu