# Infection by Tickborne Bacterium Candidatus Midichloria Associated with First Trimester Pregnancy Loss, Tennessee, USA

## TL;DR

A woman in Tennessee suffered a first trimester pregnancy loss linked to infection from a tickborne bacterium called Candidatus Midichloria.

## Contribution

This is the first reported case linking Candidatus Midichloria infection to pregnancy loss in humans.

## Key findings

- A tickborne bacterium from the Candidatus Midichloria genus was identified in the products of conception.
- The infection was confirmed using histopathology, 16S rRNA sequencing, and electron microscopy.
- The case suggests a potential association between Midichloria infection and first trimester pregnancy loss.

## Abstract

A previously healthy 26-year-old woman in middle Tennessee, USA, experienced a first trimester pregnancy loss after multiple tick bites. Histopathology, 16S rRNA sequencing, and electron microscopy examination of the products of conception revealed an infection by a bacterium within the Candidatus Midichloria genus.