“
Candidatus
Midichloria” Endosymbionts Bloom after the Blood Meal of the Host, the Hard Tick
Ixodes ricinus
ABSTRACT
“
Candidatus
Midichloria mitochondrii,” an intracellular symbiont of the tick
Ixodes ricinus
, is the only described organism able to invade the mitochondria of any multicellular organism. We used quantitative PCR to examine cycles of bacterial growth and death throughout the host's development and found that they correspond with the phases of engorgement and molt, respectively.