 |
|
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 Current Events and Syphilis News RSSDespite Risk, Older African Americans More Likely Than Others To Avoid Flu Vaccine
A study about why African American seniors do or do not get influenza vaccinations finds that many of them do not have accurate and complete information about the flu itself, the safety and efficacy of the inoculations, and the ease and necessity of getting the shots.
Syphilis survey reveals need for accurate testing for early infection
Although syphilis is one of the oldest known diseases, most health professionals do not have access to the tests necessary to reliably diagnose it in its earliest and most infectious stage.
What are coral reef services worth? $130,000 to $1.2 million per hectare, per year: experts
Experts concluding the global DIVERSITAS biodiversity conference today in Cape Town described preliminary research revealing jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs - including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation.
High mortality rates may explain small body size
A new study suggests that high mortality rates in small-bodied people, commonly known as pygmies, may be part of the reason for their small stature.
Risky sexual behavior among male clients of Tijuana sex workers heightens risk of HIV transmission
A study by a bi-national team of global health researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, examining HIV infection among male clients of female sex workers in Tijuana, has found that over half of male clients had recently had unprotected sex.
New studies give clear guidance on how to better recruit volunteers for Alzheimer's clinical studies
Partnering with local physicians, working with local clinics, and conducting educational seminars and health fairs were found to be the most effective tools in recruiting people for Alzheimer's clinical studies.
UI chemists' DNA biosynthesis discovery could lead to better antibiotics
Combating several human pathogens, including some biological warfare agents, may one day become a bit easier thanks to research reported by a University of Iowa chemist and his colleagues in the April 16 issue of the journal Nature.
Scientists discover new chemical reaction for DNA production in bacteria and viruses
A team of researchers has discovered a new chemical reaction for producing one of the four nucleotides, or building blocks, needed to build DNA.
Developing countries need support to ethically conduct unlinked anonymous HIV testing
Data collected from HIV surveillance are crucial to guide public health interventions, planning, and prevention efforts. But developing countries face several challenges to implementing surveillance programs says a team of researchers from the US and the Democratic Republic of Congo in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Rapid HIV testing in the ER boosts diagnoses, screening
One in every 50 people screened for a suspected sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Hospital was found to be infected with HIV using a rapid blood sample screening test.
More Syphilis Current Events and Syphilis News Articles
 |
Pox: Genius, Madness, And The Mysteries Of Syphilis by Deborah Hayden (Author) "How a transmittable little bacterium with a twisting propellant tail...deeply affected...mankind's perception of itself." Anthony Day, Los Angeles Times From Beethoven to Oscar Wilde, from Van Gogh to Hitler, Deborah Hayden throws new light on the effects of syphilis on the lives and works of seminal figures from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. Writing with remarkable insight and narrative flair, Hayden argues that biographers and historians have vastly underestimated the influence of what Thomas Mann called "this exhilarating yet wasting disease." Shrouded in secrecy, syphilis was accompanied by wild euphoria and suicidal depression, megalomania and paranoia, profoundly affecting sufferers' worldview, their sexual behavior, and their art. Deeply informed and... |
 |
GIANT Microbes Plush Doll The Pox - Syphilis (Treponema pallidum) by Giant Microbes Don't let a pox end up on your house -- or anyone else's house. The more you know, the better for everyone's real estate. |
 |
Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America (Healing Society: Disease, Medicine, and History) by John Parascandola (Author) Social and cultural factors, as well as medical ones, help to shape the way we understand and react to diseases. In the case of a disease associated with sex, social and cultural factors figure especially large in its history. For example, moral and religious views influence almost everything connected with sex, and that includes sexually transmitted diseases. Syphilis thus provides an excellent case study to help understand the history of disease in a broader human context. This book covers the history of syphilis in America, from Colonial times to the present, as well as laying bare the origins and spread of the disease in Europe. Several themes explored in the book illustrate ways in which non-medical factors influence our views of a disease and our reaction to it. ... |
 |
Syphilis Malte Burba; Melinda Liebermann (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Miss Evers' Boys Starring: Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburne, Craig Sheffer, Joe Morton, Obba Babatundé Directed By: Joseph Sargent Also With: Laurence Fishburne (Producer), Peter Stelzer (Producer), Derek Kavanagh (Producer), Kern Konwiser (Producer), Kip Konwiser (Producer), David Feldshuh (Writer), Walter Bernstein (Writer) Based on the shocking true story, Miss Evers' Boys exposes a 40-year government backed medical research effort on humans which led to tragic consequences. It is 1932 when loyal, devoted Nurse Eunice Evers (Alfre Woodard) is invited to work with Dr. Brodus (Joe Morton) and Dr. Douglas (Craig Sheffer) on a federally funded program to treat syphilis patients in Alabama. Free treatment is offered to those who test positive for the disease included Caleb Humphries (Laurence Fishburne) and Willie Johnson (Obba Babatunde). But when the government withdraws its funding, money is offered for what will become known as "The Tuskegee Experiment", a study of the effects of syphilis on patients who don't receive treatment. Now the men must be led to believe they are being cared for, when in fact they... |
 |
That Last Stage Of Syphilis Really Caught Me By Surprise by Torture Shoe |
![Secrets of the Dead - The Syphilis Enigma [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W8WCGK2XL._SL160_.jpg) |
Secrets of the Dead - The Syphilis Enigma [VHS] Starring: Martin Biddle, Robert Falcon Scott, David Keys (II), Linnda R. Caporael, Susan Solomon Directed By: Henry Singer, Elizabeth Dobson, Christopher Salt, Alexander Marengo |
 |
AS OLD AS CREATION SYPHILIS IS NOW CURABLE CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN UNITED STATES AMERICAN US USA VINTAGE POSTER REPRO by WONDERFULITEMS THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL / GREAT QUALITY REPRODUCTION VINTAGE POSTER !!! THE POSTERS ARE PRINTED ON HEAVYWEIGHT PROFESSIONAL MATTE PAPER USING **GICLEE** TECHNIQUE. THE QUALITY OF THE IMAGES IS JUST AMAZING!!! 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE!!! IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED JUST RETURN THE POSTER, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!! IMAGE SIZE IS 12" X 16" INCHES - PAPER SIZE IS 15" X 18" INCHES. THIS POSTER WILL MAKE A FANTASTIC ADDITION TO THE HOME DÉCOR!!! ***HIGH QUALITY POSTER FOR DISCERNING CLIENTES!!!!!*** |
 |
RPR Card Test Kit for Syphilis (500 test/kit) by ASI Clinical Diagnostic Kits, Syphilis Testing, RPR Test Kit; Sure-Vue; 500 Tests; Results in eight minutes. Includes: reagent, prediluted positive and negative controls, dispensing pipets, needle, plastic dispensing vial, and disposable slides (10 well) |
 |
Syphilis (Six out of Ten Cured) Gold Wood-Mounted Art Poster Print - 13" X 19" by Adam Hersh Posters |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |