An infectious disease, confined to high river valleys in Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia, caused by the parasitic microorganism Bartonella bacilliformis. The parasite, present in red blood cells and cells of the lymphatic system, is transmitted to man by female sandflies. There are two clinical stages of the disease: Oroya fever (Carrion’s disease), whose symptoms include fever, anemia, and enlargement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes; and verruga peruana, characterized by wart-like eruptions on the skin that can bleed easily and ulcerate. Oroya fever accounts for nearly all fatalities. Bartonellosis can be treated successfully with penicillin and other antibiotics and blood transfusions may be given to relieve the anemia.
A disease caused by Bartonella bacilliformis . It is transmitted by female sandflies (Phlebotomus) endemic in the valleys of the Andes Mountains in Peru, Ecuador, and southwest Colombia. It occurs in two clinical forms: Oroya fever, which, if untreated, has a 10% to 90% fatality rate; and verruga peruana.