Spiders of the brown widow species, scientifically called Latrodectus geometricus, are prevalent across several continents and have been discovered to harbor a strain of Rhabdochlamydia—a bacterium from a group that includes pathogens affecting humans and animals, such as Chlamydia. However, bites from these spiders do not pose a risk of transmitting Chlamydia. To date, this bacterium has only been found in a few organisms—a tick, an isopod, a cockroach, and another spider—all of which are considered rare occurrences.