Rickettsiales: Biology, Molecular Biology, Epidemiology, And Vaccine Development

Sunil Thomas Editor Rickettsiales Biology, Molecular Biology, Epidemiology, and Vaccine Development Rickettsiales Sunil Thomas Editor Rickettsiales Biology, Molecular Biology, Epidemiology, and Vaccine Development Editor Sunil Thomas Lankenau Institute for Medical Research Wynnewood, PA, USA ISBN 978-3-319-46857-0    ISBN 978-3-319-46859-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-46859-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016955835 © Springer International Publishing AG 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Dedicated to all the Infectious Disease Researchers and Medical Practitioners Preface Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents. Development of effective vaccines to protect against infectious diseases not only helps in the well-being of humans but also decreases mortality in farm animals and fishes, thus increasing food security. Vaccination programs are also effective in reducing the reliance on antibiotics, the abuse of which has led to antibiotic resistant microorganisms as well as destruction of the beneficial microbiome leading to several metabolic diseases. As yet vaccination has eradicated only two diseases—small pox in humans and rinderpest in cattle. Aggressive vaccination strategies have lowered the incidence of many diseases including polio, rubella, and Guinea worm disease. However, currently, there are no commercially available vaccines for none of the diseases caused by members of the order Rickettsiales. Many members of the order Rickettsiales are emerging and re-emerging diseases and are transmitted through insect bites or by consuming contaminated fish with infected trematodes. Diseases caused