Anaplasmataceae Subversion of the Lysosomal Activity

Pathogenic bacteria belonging to the family Anaplasmataceae include species of the genera Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and Neorickettsia. These bacterial obligate intracellular parasites have evolved diverse mechanisms for evasion of host cellular defenses. One of these mechanisms involves adaptations for survival in distinct intracellular compartments that allow their replication in seclusion from lysosomal killing. Here, I review the intracellular niches inhabited by these obligate intracellular parasites such as: arrested early endosomes, lysosomes, and vesicles that do not fuse with the endosomal compartment but intersect with an exocytic pathway.