ObjectiveTo study the presence of Bartonella bacilliformis in ticks collected from two wild mammals in Madre de Dios, Peru.ResultsA total of 110 ticks were collected. Among the 43 Amblyomma spp. extracted from the 3 Tapirus terrestris only 3 were positive for B. bacilliformis. In addition, 12 out of the 67 Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus obtained from the 3 Pecari tajacu were positive for B. bacilliformis. For the first time B. bacilliformis have been detected in arthropods other than Lutzomyia spp. Further studies are required to elucidate the possible role of ticks in the spread of South American Bartonellosis.

Acute febrile illness (AFI) represent a significant health challenge in the Peruvian Amazon basin population due to their diverse etiologies and the unavailability of specific on-site diagnostic methods, resulting in underreporting of cases. In Peru, one of the most endemic regions to dengue and leptospirosis is Madre de Dios, a region also endemic to emergent bacterial etiologic agents of AFI, such as bartonellosis and rickettsiosis, whose prevalence is usually underreported.We aimed to molecularly identify the presence of Leptospira spp., Bartonella bacilliformis, and Rickettsia spp. by Polymerase Chain Reaction in serum samples from patients with AFI from Puerto Maldonado-Madre de Dios in Peru.