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Vega-García E, Palacios G, Pérez JA, Vélez-Tobarias M, Torres-Vega AM, Ascaso-Terrén C, Carmelo E. A molecular toolbox for fast and convenient diagnosis of emerging and reemerging bacterial pathogens causing fever of intermediate duration. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2024; 43:649-657. [PMID: 38270806 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-024-04760-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Fever of intermediate duration (FID) is defined as a fever in the community without a specific origin or focus, with a duration between 7 and 28 days. FID is often caused by pathogens associated with animal contact or their arthropods parasites, such as ticks, fleas, or lice. The purpose of this work is to design a collection of molecular tools to promptly and accurately detect common bacterial pathogens causing FID, including bacteria belonging to genera Rickettsia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia, as well as Coxiella burnetii. METHODS Reference DNA sequences from a collection of Rickettsia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia species were used to design genus-specific primers and FRET probes targeted to conserved genomic regions. For C. burnetii, primers previously described were used, in combination with a newly designed specific probe. Real-time PCR assays were optimized using reference bacterial genomic DNA in a background of human genomic DNA. RESULTS The four real-time PCR assays can detect as few as ten copies of target DNA from those five genera of FDI-causing bacteria in a background of 300 ng of human genomic DNA, mimicking the low microbial load generally found in patient's blood. CONCLUSION These assays constitute a fast and convenient "toolbox" that can be easily implemented in diagnostic laboratories to provide timely and accurate detection of bacterial pathogens that are typical etiological causes of febrile syndromes such as FID in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elva Vega-García
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUESTPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez S/N, 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Génesis Palacios
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUESTPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez S/N, 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - José A Pérez
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUESTPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez S/N, 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Microbiología, Biología Celular y Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
| | - Mónica Vélez-Tobarias
- Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de La Palma (HULP), Breña Alta, La Palma, Spain
| | - Ana María Torres-Vega
- Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Insular Ntra. Sra. de los Reyes (HINSR), Valverde, El Hierro, Spain
| | | | - Emma Carmelo
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUESTPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez S/N, 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
- Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
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Tufa TB, Margos G, Fingerle V, Hartberger C, Poppert S, Birtles RJ, Kraiczy P, Kempf VAJ, Frickmann H, Feldt T. Evidence for Bartonella quintana in Lice Collected from the Clothes of Ethiopian Homeless Individuals. Pathogens 2023; 12:1299. [PMID: 38003765 PMCID: PMC10675803 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Human lice, Pediculus humanus, can transmit various pathogens, including Bartonella quintana, Borrelia recurrentis, and Rickettsia prowazekii. Xenosurveillance is an epidemiological approach to assessing human infection risks performed by screening vectors of infectious disease agents. In the proof-of-principle study reported herein, the DNA of 23 human lice was collected from the clothes of 30 homeless Ethiopian individuals. These samples were assessed using 16S rRNA gene-specific pan-eubacterial PCR for screening, followed by Bartonella genus 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence-specific PCR, Bartonella genus gltA gene-specific PCR, and 16S rRNA gene PCR with specificity for relapsing-fever-associated Borrelia spp. with subsequent sequencing of the amplicons. In one sample, the pan-eubacterial 16S rRNA gene-specific screening PCR, the Bartonella genus 16S-23S ITS sequence-specific PCR, and the Bartonella genus gltA gene-specific PCR allowed for the sequencing of B. quintana-specific amplicons. In two additional samples, Bartonella genus gltA gene-specific PCR also provided sequences showing 100% sequence identity with B. quintana. In total, 3/23 (13.0%) of the assessed lice were found to be positive for B. quintana. Correlating clinical data were not available; however, the assessment confirmed the presence of B. quintana in the local louse population and thus an associated infection pressure. Larger-sized cross-sectional studies seem advisable to more reliably quantify the infection risk of lice-infested local individuals. The need for prevention by providing opportunities to maintain standard hygiene for Ethiopian homeless individuals is stressed by the reported findings, especially in light of the ongoing migration of refugees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tafese Beyene Tufa
- Asella Teaching and Referral Hospital, College of Health Sciences, Arsi University, Asella P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia;
- Hirsch Institute of Tropical Medicine (HITM), Heinrich-Heine University, Asella P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Gabriele Margos
- National Reference Center for Borrelia, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), Branch Oberschleißheim, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (G.M.); (V.F.); (C.H.)
| | - Volker Fingerle
- National Reference Center for Borrelia, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), Branch Oberschleißheim, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (G.M.); (V.F.); (C.H.)
| | - Christine Hartberger
- National Reference Center for Borrelia, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), Branch Oberschleißheim, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (G.M.); (V.F.); (C.H.)
| | - Sven Poppert
- Diagnostic Department, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, 20239 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Richard J. Birtles
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK;
| | - Peter Kraiczy
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control and Consiliary Laboratory for Bartonella Infections (Appointed by the Robert Koch Institute), University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (P.K.); (V.A.J.K.)
| | - Volkhard A. J. Kempf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control and Consiliary Laboratory for Bartonella Infections (Appointed by the Robert Koch Institute), University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (P.K.); (V.A.J.K.)
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Torsten Feldt
- Hirsch Institute of Tropical Medicine (HITM), Heinrich-Heine University, Asella P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Tian J, Liu J, Lu M, Chen X, Li K. Molecular evidence of Anaplasma spp. in blood-sucking flies from China and identification of a putative novel Anaplasma species. Microb Pathog 2023; 183:106318. [PMID: 37619912 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Tabanids and stomoxes are important mechanical vectors for the transmission of pathogens. Although the agents they transmitted have been well studied, bacteria of the genus Anaplasma harbored by these flies have never been reported in China. In this study, 262 blood-sucking flies (128 Stomoxys calcitrans, 45 Tabanus birmanicus, 69 Tabanus hypomacros, and 20 Tabanus taiwanus) were collected from the Wuhan and Nanping cities of China. Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma bovis, and Candidatus Anaplasma cinensis are detected in S. calcitrans from Wuhan City, with positive rates of 15.63%, 1.56%, and 7.81%, respectively. Out of our expectations, a putative novel Anaplasma species was identified in all three tabanid species (40.00% in T. birmanicus, 15.94% in T. hypomacros, and 10.00% in T. taiwanus) from Nanping City. The 16 S rRNA and groEL gene sequences have highest 99.37-99.75% and 91.46% identities to A. marginale, while the gltA gene sequences have highest 88.34% identity to Anaplasma centrale. In the phylogenetic trees, these strains form a distinct clade. Herein we name it "Candidatus Anaplasma nanpingensis". The present study shows the existence of multiple Anaplasma species in blood-sucking flies in China. This may be the first report that blood-sucking flies harbor Anaplasma in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhua Tian
- Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 430024, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 430024, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China
| | - Miao Lu
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 102206, Changping District, Beijing City, China
| | - Xiaomin Chen
- Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 430024, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China
| | - Kun Li
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 102206, Changping District, Beijing City, China.
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Deng YP, Fu YT, Yao C, Shao R, Zhang XL, Duan DY, Liu GH. Emerging bacterial infectious diseases/pathogens vectored by human lice. Travel Med Infect Dis 2023; 55:102630. [PMID: 37567429 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Human lice have always been a major public health concern due to their vector capacity for louse-borne infectious diseases, like trench fever, louse-borne relapsing fever, and epidemic fever, which are caused by Bartonella quintana, Borrelia recurrentis, and Rickettsia prowazekii, respectively. Those diseases are currently re-emerging in the regions of poor hygiene, social poverty, or wars with life-threatening consequences. These louse-borne diseases have also caused outbreaks among populations in jails and refugee camps. In addition, antibodies and DNAs to those pathogens have been steadily detected in homeless populations. Importantly, more bacterial pathogens have been detected in human lice, and some have been transmitted by human lice in laboratories. Here, we provide a comprehensive review and update on louse-borne infectious diseases/bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Ping Deng
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yi-Tian Fu
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
| | - Renfu Shao
- Centre for Bioinnovation, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia
| | - Xue-Ling Zhang
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - De-Yong Duan
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Guo-Hua Liu
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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Ouarti B, Fonkou DMM, Houhamdi L, Mediannikov O, Parola P. Lice and lice-borne diseases in humans in Africa: a narrative review. Acta Trop 2022; 237:106709. [PMID: 36198330 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Lice are host-specific insects. Human lice include Pediculus humanus humanus (body lice) which are known to be vectors of serious human bacterial infectious diseases including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, trench fever and plague; Pediculus humanus capitis (head lice) that frequently affect children; and Pthirus pubis, commonly known as crab lice. In Africa, human infections transmitted by lice remained poorly known and therefore, underestimated, perhaps due to the lack of diagnostic tools and professional knowledge. In this paper we review current knowledge of the microorganisms identified in human lice in the continent of Africa, in order to alert health professionals to the importance of recognising the risk of lice-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basma Ouarti
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France; IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
| | | | - Linda Houhamdi
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France; IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
| | - Oleg Mediannikov
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.
| | - Philippe Parola
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France; IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
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Tsai KH, Yen TY, Wu WJ, Carvalho R, Raoult D, Fournier PE. Investigation of Ctenocephalides felis on domestic dogs and Rickettsia felis infection in the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. Zoonoses Public Health 2020; 67:892-902. [PMID: 33145971 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Rickettsia felis is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium which causes flea-borne spotted fever in humans. In the past decades, R. felis has been detected worldwide in Ctenocephalides felis fleas and various other arthropods. However, due to its shared symptoms with other common vector-borne diseases, human infection is prone to be underestimated or misdiagnosed, especially in the malaria-endemic areas including sub-Saharan Africa, where confirmatory laboratory diagnoses are not usually available. In this study, a 'One Health' approach was adopted to explore potential vector-borne and zoonotic pathogens in the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe (DRSTP), an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea. By collaborating with local veterinarians, 1,187 fleas were collected from 95 domestic dogs across the country and later identified as Ct. felis using taxonomic keys. A cytochrome oxidase gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that all collected fleas belonged to a single haplotype and were identical to isolates from Ivory Coast and Brazil that clustered into a clade of tropical distribution. Additional samples of 14 chigoe fleas (Tunga penetrans) were collected from the surrounding environment of the dogs' resting spots. Rickettsia felis infection in fleas was examined by molecular methods targeting the citrate synthase (gltA)- and outer membrane protein A (ompA)-coding genes as well as the R. felis-specific pRF plasmid. The bacterial DNA was detected in 21.01% (146/695) of cat fleas but none of the chigoe fleas. Microimmunofluorescence assay was then performed to assess pathogen exposure of the residents. Of 240 dried blood spots from participants with dog contacts, 8 (3.33%) exhibited R. felis antibodies. Our findings demonstrated the presence of R. felis in DRSTP. Further extensive epidemiological studies regarding its prevalence and its role in causing febrile illness while the nation is entering pre-elimination stage of malaria will be carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun-Hsien Tsai
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Entomology, College of Bioresources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tsai-Ying Yen
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Jer Wu
- Department of Entomology, College of Bioresources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ronalg Carvalho
- Taiwanese Medical Mission, Sao Tome, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
| | - Didier Raoult
- Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,French Reference Center for Rickettsioses, Q fever and Bartonelloses, Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE) UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Marseille, France
| | - Pierre-Edouard Fournier
- Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,French Reference Center for Rickettsioses, Q fever and Bartonelloses, Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE) UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Marseille, France
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