Abstract
BackgroundBartonella bacilliformis, the etiological agent of Carrion's disease and presumed to be transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies, is endemic to the high-altitude valleys of the South American Andes, including Colombia.MethodsThis observational, retrospective study in which the incidence of bartonelloses (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes A44.0-A44.9) in Colombia, from 2009-2013, was estimated based on data extracted from the personal health records system (Registro Individual Prestación Servicios, RIPS). Using the official population estimates of the National Statistics Department (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadísticas, DANE), crude and adjusted incidence rates were estimated (cases/100,000 population).ResultsA total of 1,389 cases were reported (median 289/year), for a cumulative national rate of 3.02 cases/100,000 population; 91.2% were female; 66.8% were <40-year-old (3.8% <9.9-year-old). The cases were 2.9% Oroya fever (A44.0), 13.1% verruga peruana (A44.1), and the rest (85.3%) were other forms of bartonelloses (A44.8-A44.9). The highest rates of Oroya fever were reported in Bolivar (2.5 cases/1,000,000 population). For verruga peruana highest number of cases were reported in Antioquia (32; 17.8%; 5.21 cases/1,000,000 population) and the highest rate at Magdalena (11.54 cases/1,000,000 population) (Risaralda, 6.45; Caldas, 5.1). For other forms of bartonelloses, the highest rates were reported at Magdalena (48.65 cases/1,000,000 population), followed by Huila (32.8) and La Guajira (18.9). At Nariño, Putumayo, Amazonas, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca, 11.7% of the cases of the country were reported.ConclusionsLutzomyia columbiana, the potential vector of Bartonella bacilliformis in Colombia, is distributed not only in Nariño, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca but also in the Antioquia, Caldas, Huila, La Guajira, Risaralda, Cordoba, and Caribbean areas. Given this distribution, the transmission would be occurring, as seen in reported cases, in more areas than previously described by classic reports of these diseases in the country.
Highlights
Bartonelloses are infections caused by several species of bacteria in the Bartonella genus
The cases were 2.9% Oroya fever (A44.0), 13.1% verruga peruana (A44.1), and the rest (85.3%) were other forms of bartonelloses (A44.8A44.9)
The highest rates of Oroya fever were reported in Bolivar (2.5 cases/1,000,000 population)
Summary
Bartonelloses are infections caused by several species of bacteria in the Bartonella genus. These are gramnegative bacteria and facultative intracellular parasites. Three species of the genus Bartonella are known to be important causes of human diseases: Bartonella (B.) henselae, the etiological agent of the cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis, infections that are usually benign and self-limited [1,2]; B. quintana, which causes trench fever, and B. bacilliformis, responsible for Carrion’s disease (or verruga peruana). The infections caused by those species have various epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and treatment approaches [2,3]. Bartonella bacilliformis, the etiological agent of Carrion's disease and presumed to be transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies, is endemic to the high-altitude valleys of the South American Andes, including Colombia
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