Worldwide Presence and Features of Flea-Borne .

, the most well-characterized rickettsia of the -like organisms (RFLO), is relatively unknown within the vector-borne diseases research community. The agent was initially identified in peri-domestic fleas from Asembo, Kenya in an area in which was associated with fever patients. Local fleas collected from domestic animals and within homes were predominately infected with with < 10% infected with . Since the identification of in Kenya, it has been reported in other locations within Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and South America. With the description of -like genotypes across the globe, a need exists to isolate these genotypes in cell culture, conduct microscopic, and biological analysis, as well as whole genome sequencing to ascertain whether they are the same species. Additionally, interest has been building on the potential of in infecting vertebrate hosts including humans, non-human primates, dogs, and other animals. The current knowledge of the presence, prevalence, and distribution of worldwide, as well as its arthropod hosts and potential as a pathogen are discussed in this manuscript.