The Chlamydiales order is composed of obligate intracellular bacteria and includes the Chlamydiaceae family and several family-level lineages called Chlamydia-related bacteria. In this review we will highlight the conserved and distinct biological features between these two groups. We will show how a better characterization of Chlamydia-related bacteria may increase our understanding on the Chlamydiales order evolution, and may help identifying new therapeutic targets to treat chlamydial infections.
Keywords: Chlamydia-related bacteria; Chlamydiae; Chlamydial division; Phylogeny.
Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.