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Emory study of syphilis bacteria yields valuable diagnostic tool
June 16, 2008Variations in a gene within the family of bacteria that causes syphilis may hold clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary significance, researchers at Emory University in Atlanta have found.
The researchers' study results describe how sequence variations they identified in the acidic repeat protein (ARP) gene allow straightforward differentiation of venereal syphilis from non-venereal Treponema pallidum subspecies. The study was published online in the journal FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology June 12 (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2008.00427.x).
"This finding can lead to improved diagnoses of cases, enabling doctors to prescribe the right treatment, and public health workers to determine the best prevention strategies," says Kristin Harper, who led the research team as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute pre-doctoral fellow in Emory's Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution program.
The family of Treponema bacteria causes venereal syphilis and the non-venereal diseases of yaws and bejel, which are transmitted through skin-to-skin or oral contact. Public health workers in parts of Africa have reported difficulty in distinguishing yaws from syphilis in children, leaving open the question of whether the child may have contracted a venereal disease - either congenitally or through sexual abuse.
"As yaws eradication efforts near their goal, and case diagnosis becomes more difficult due to the relative rarity of yaws, a molecular means of determining whether the infection is venereal or non-venereal becomes essential," Harper says.
The analysis of the repeat region of the ARP gene in 32 strains of pathogenic Treponema showed that the sexually transmitted strains contained multiple types of repeat motifs, while the non-venereal subspecies contained only one type of motif.
In addition, the researchers found the presence of multiple, but distinct, repeat motifs in the two types of sexually transmitted Treponema examined, suggesting that a diverse repertoire of repeat motifs has evolved at least two times in association with sexual transmission.
"The kind of changes we found in the ARP gene are consistent with rapid evolution," Harper said. "This scenario lends further support to several prominent theories about the origin of syphilis, including that the pathogen arose with the return of Columbus from the New World."
Emory University
The family of Treponema bacteria causes venereal syphilis and the non-venereal diseases of yaws and bejel, which are transmitted through skin-to-skin or oral contact. Public health workers in parts of Africa have reported difficulty in distinguishing yaws from syphilis in children, leaving open the question of whether the child may have contracted a venereal disease - either congenitally or through sexual abuse.
"As yaws eradication efforts near their goal, and case diagnosis becomes more difficult due to the relative rarity of yaws, a molecular means of determining whether the infection is venereal or non-venereal becomes essential," Harper says.
The analysis of the repeat region of the ARP gene in 32 strains of pathogenic Treponema showed that the sexually transmitted strains contained multiple types of repeat motifs, while the non-venereal subspecies contained only one type of motif.
In addition, the researchers found the presence of multiple, but distinct, repeat motifs in the two types of sexually transmitted Treponema examined, suggesting that a diverse repertoire of repeat motifs has evolved at least two times in association with sexual transmission.
"The kind of changes we found in the ARP gene are consistent with rapid evolution," Harper said. "This scenario lends further support to several prominent theories about the origin of syphilis, including that the pathogen arose with the return of Columbus from the New World."
Emory University
Syphilis News and Current Syphilis Events RSSNew Male Circumcision Device for HIV Prevention Studied by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell
With the recent endorsement by the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists worldwide of adult male circumcision as an important strategy for HIV prevention, there is increased urgency to develop safe and cost-effective circumcision services. This is especially the case in Africa where HIV/AIDS continues to spread at an epidemic rate.
Doubling of sexually transmitted infections among over-45s in under a decade
Rates of sexually transmitted infections have doubled among the over 45s in less than a decade, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Researchers track Lyme disease spirochetes
Microbiologists at the University of Calgary have demonstrated the first direct visualization of the dissemination of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Researchers explore the emerging role of infection in Alzheimer's disease
A number of chronic diseases are in fact caused by one or more infectious agents. For example, stomach ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, chronic lung disease in newborns and chronic asthma in adults are both caused by Mycoplasmas and Chlamydia pneumonia, while some other pathogens have been associated with atherosclerosis.
UIC scientists discover how some bacteria survive antibiotics
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered how some bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment by turning on resistance mechanisms when exposed to the drugs. The findings, published in the April 24 issue of the journal Molecular Cell, could lead to more effective antibiotics to treat a variety of infections.
Is infant male circumcision an abuse of the rights of the child?
Circumcision is one of the commonest surgical procedures performed on males. Opponents argue that infant circumcision can cause both physical and psychological harm, while recent evidence shows that circumcision is medically beneficial.
Rapid syphilis testing in Haiti will prevent congenital disease and stillbirths
Congenital syphilis is a major preventable public health problem in many developing countries, frequently causing stillbirths or neonatal death and disabling children who survive.
Scientists crack the genome of the parasite causing trichomoniasis
Scientists have finally deciphered the genome of the parasite causing trichomoniasis, a feat that is already providing new approaches to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this sexually transmitted disease.
Resurgence and spread of syphilis in China is a rapidly increasing epidemic
The resurgence and spread in China of syphilis, an infection eliminated there from 1960 to 1980, represents a rapidly increasing pidemic calling for urgent intervention, ccording to authors of a new report documenting rising infection rates.
Prompting men to have syphilis tests
An innovative social marketing campaign called "Healthy Penis," which used humorous cartoon strips to encourage gay and bisexual men in San Francisco to get checked for syphilis, was associated with an increase in syphilis tests, according to evaluations published in PLoS Medicine.
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