Abstract
The evolution of obligate host-association of bacterial symbionts and pathogens remains poorly understood. The Rickettsiales are an alphaproteobacterial order of obligate endosymbionts and parasites that infect a wide variety of eukaryotic hosts, including humans, livestock, insects and protists. Induced by their host-associated lifestyle, Rickettsiales genomes have undergone reductive evolution, leading
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