“ Candidatus Midichloria” Endosymbionts Bloom after the Blood Meal of the Host, the Hard Tick Ixodes ricinus

"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.