Dubious presence of Bartonella bacilliformis in ticks from Madre de Dios, Peru

Abstract

Bartonella bacilliformis has recently been described in Amblyomma scalpturatum, Amblyomma ovale and Rhipicephalus microplus collected from wild animals in the Peruvian region of Madre de Dios. In this communication, I will discuss the results of a recent study by del Valle-Mendoza et al. together with the B. bacilliformis epidemiology. Following my argumentation, I consider the presence of this microorganism in the above ticks improbable.