Rickettsia asembonensis is a flea-related Rickettsia with unknown pathogenicity to humans. We detected R. asembonensis DNA in 2 of 1,153 human blood samples in Zambia. Our findings suggest the possibility of R. asembonensis infection in humans despite its unknown pathogenicity.
Keywords: Rickettsemia; Rickettsia asembonensis; Rickettsia felis-like organisms; Zambia; bloodborne pathogens; fleaborne rickettsiosis; multiple-gene sequencing; rickettsial diseases; vector-borne diseases.