User:Johnnybravo1234/sandbox

= Candidatus Cardinium =

Cardinium bacteria are a genus of parasitic bacteria that reside within cells of some arthropods and nematodes. Although they have not yet been isolated in pure culture (hence the designation Candidatus), they are known to negatively influence reproduction in their hosts in order to further their own proliferation. This leads to their classification as a reproductive parasite. One of the only other examples of this type of parasitism is the genus Wolbachia, which also infects arthropods. These two genera can also co-infect the same animal, as in some nematodes. Cardinium bacteria use many of the same methods to interfere with host reproduction as Wolbachia, including inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility and distorting the sex ratio in the host population to favor females. The mechanisms by which Cardinium induces these conditions in hosts is thought to be different from the mechanisms used by Wolbachia. Cardinium is maternally inherited; infections are maintained through generations through the egg cells (termed vertical transmission) . It is estimated that 6-10% of all arthropods are infected with Cardinium bacteria.

Cardinium were first discovered in 1996 in the cells of deer ticks, although attempts to culture them independently of host cells was unsuccessful.