Species of Borrelia from a Colombian bat (Natalus tumidirostris).

TLDR: During the past 10 yr no arthropod-borne relapsing fevers have been reported from Colombia but there have been several suspicious cases in the department of Santander, where O. rudis is not uncommon8.

Abstract: ALTHOUGH recurrent and relapsing fevers occur in Colombia, the aetiological agents are seldom diagnosed From Colombia only two of the six recognized forms of arthropod-borne relapsing fevers have been reported: epidemic cosmopolitan relapsing fever caused by Borrelia recurrentis (synonyms B obermeiri, B novyi) and transmitted by lice (Pediculus humanus), and the endemic central and South American form of relapsing fever caused by B venezuelensis (synonym B neotropicalis) transmitted in nature to man, monkeys and marsupials by the soft ticks (Ornithodorosrudis, O talaje, O turcicate, O rostrata and O megnini) During the past 10 yr no arthropod-borne relapsing fevers have been reported from Colombia but there have been several suspicious cases in the department of Santander, where O rudis is not uncommon8