[Joseph Désiré Tholozan and the Persian relapsing fever].

In the year 1879, Tholozan seems to have been convinced of the danger caused by the bites of ornithodores in Persia, as a result of very careful observations of sick persons suffering from iranian relapsing fever due to Borrelia persica. Among the ticks collected by him and sent to entomologists in France was the true vector, named Argas (presently Ornithodoros) tholozani by Laboulbene and Megnin. Tholozan's contribution to our knowledge on persian relapsing fever is really important. He was one of the first to provide a good clinical description of the disease and to involve an argasid tick in its transmission. He discovered the real vector species which is now called after him.