The authors report the presence of a Rickettsia in Ruditapes decussatus from natural populations of the Algarve (Portugal). Light microscopic shows infections of varying importance in gill tissues. Some enclose small procaryotic colonies (cp) scattered in all lamellae; in others, the colonies are scarce and hypertrophic (100 mu m). These different pictures suggest an amplification process. Digestive diverticulae may also be infected, but to a lesser extent. The ultrastructural features of this intravacuolar (mvd: densified vacuolar membrane) procaryote (P) and its multiplication by scission without a complex developmental cycle allows its classification in the order Rickettsiales.