Rickettsiales comprise a diverse and expanding list of vector-borne obligate intra-cellular Gram-negative bacteria that include many animal and human pathogens as well as non-pathogens. Members of Rickettsiales are characterized by small genomes, with sizes ranging between 0.8 and 2.5 Mbp, and the number of hypothetical proteins varying from 88 to 536 (recently reviewed in
[1]). Rickettsiales organisms are globally widespread, and their geographical distribution is mostly defined by both vector and natural host constraints. A rise in incidence and resurgence patterns of human diseases caused by these vector-borne pathogens has been increasingly recognized, resulting from the impact of climate and social changes on the distribution and abundance of the arthropod vectors and associated pathogens. For example, human granulocytic anaplasmosis caused by
Anaplasma phagocytophilum and transmitted by the tick
Ixodes scapularis is among the three most important vector-borne diseases in the United States (U.S.), with data showing a ~12-fold increase in reported human cases from 2010–2018
[2]. Also, it is increasingly being reported in Asia and several Central/Northern Europe where the distribution of
Anaplasma and its vector
Ixodes ricinus is increasing both in latitude and altitude
[3][4]. Likewise, the increased incidence of human ehrlichiosis in the U.S. has also been associated with a geographical expansion of the tick
Amblyomma americanum and
E. chaffeensis to northern regions
[5]. Scrub typhus is currently recognized to have a wider presence beyond the endemic areas of the tropical Asia-Pacific region and northern Australia, with cases emerging in South America, the Middle East, and Africa. It is estimated that approximately 1 million cases of scrub typhus are reported every year, resulting in a significant and increasing burden in endemic areas
[6][7]. Interestingly, although it is known that chigger trombiculid mites (
Leptotrombidium spp.) are the vector for
Orientia tsutsugamushi, the nature of the vector(s) of other emerging
Orientia species in the Western Hemisphere is still not clear
[6]. Among rickettsial diseases, there is a growing concern about the globally increasing incidence of Spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFR); not only the most severe forms of these diseases but, particularly, milder forms caused by new species of rickettsiae
[8][9]. For example, the incidence of SFR in the U.S. has significantly increased over the last two decades, from 1.7 to 19.2 cases per million persons from 2000 to 2017
[10][11]. Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), caused by
R. rickettsii through a bite of
Dermacentor variabilis,
D. andersoni, or the brown dog tick (
Rhipicephalus sanguineus), is still the most severe and fatal of the SFR. Recent outbreaks of RMSF in Mexico (2004–2016) resulted in case fatality rates of ~29–30% (higher in children <10), representing an expanding public health problem
[12]. Mediterranean spotted fever, caused by
R. conorii (and transmitted by
R. sanguineus) is endemic to the Mediterranean basin and considered the most prevalent rickettsial disease in Europe
[13]. There is also a growing concern in Europe about the increasing incidence of milder rickettsioses, such as tick (
Dermacentor)-borne lymphadenopathy/Dermacentor-borne necrotic erythema and lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA/DEBONEL) syndrome
[14], and the epidemiological importance of SFRs in Africa is increasingly recognized
[15]. Importantly, rickettsial diseases transmitted by fleas like murine typhus and flea-borne spotted fever (caused by
R. typhi and
R. felis, respectively) occur worldwide, and emergence patterns for both are evident in many regions of the globe
[16][17]. Other
R. felis-like organisms, like
R. asembonensis, follow identical geographical patterns as those of
R. felis and have been associated with other arthropods, raising the interest in understanding in detail their potential as a pathogen
[18].