Table 2.
Dynamics of infection in animals experimentally inoculated with spirochetemic blood collected from humans with soft tick-borne relapsing fever in Colombia [68]
| Animal (n)a | Collection of the inoculated blood sample (febrile/afebrile period) | Days to first observation of spirochetes in bloodb | Consecutive days of visible spirochetes in bloodb | Relapsing occurrence (no. of animals with relapsing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild rat, undetermined species (2) | Febrile | 2 | 3 | No relapse |
| Young guinea pig (3) | Febrile | 2–4 | 1 | No relapse |
| Young rabbit (1) | Febrile | 1 | 1 | No relapse |
| White rat (6) | Febrile | 1 | 3 | Yes (2)d |
| White rat (2) | Afebrilec | 4 | 1–4 | Yes (2)e |
aAll animals were inoculated subcutaneously or intraperitoneally with samples of spirochetes-positive human blood (0.5–1.0 mL)
bBy thick blood smear
cBetween first and second febrile episode
dAt 4 days after the last spirochete detection
eAt 2–5 days after the last spirochete detection