Resumen

HERRER, Arístides y MORALES, José. Observaciones en el Ornithodoros Forcosus sobre su posible rol como vector de la Fiebre Recurrente. Rev. perú. med. exp. salud publica, dic. 1957, vol.11, no.1-2, p.34-39. ISSN 1726-4634.

Observations were conducted on 1655 specimens of Ornithodoros forcosus Neumann, 1908, in an attempt to establish if these mites were infected with borrelia, the etiological agent of relapsing fever. The specimens came from Limabamba, Mariscal Benavides, Camporredondo, Ocalli, and Luya. All are small towns in the department of Amazonas, Perú and are located at altitudes of from 1,400 to 2,300 meters above sea level. Isolations were attempted both by the inoculation of mice and guinea pigs with crushed suspensions of the rnites, and also by allowing the specimens to take blood meals from these test animals. In no instance was evidence of borrelia infection demonstrated. On the basis of this study, although relapsing fever is endemic in Peru, especially at altitudes of 3,000 meters and above, mites collected at the lower altitudes (1,400 to 2,300 meters) did not appear to be instrumental in the transmission.