Rickettsia slovaca was first isolated from the tick Dermacentor marginatus in 1968 and has now been found throughout the range of this tick vector, D. reticulatus and several other species. This range includes parts of northern Africa, southern to central Europe from Spain and France to the western border of China. It has been recently associated with tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA), a combination of tick bite, an inoculation eschar on the scalp, facial edema and cervical adenopathies. This combination of symptoms is also associated with R. raoultii.