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Adade E, Roos C, Chuma IS, Sylverken AA, Knauf S. No evidence for yaws infection in a small-scale cross-sectional serosurvey in Ghanaian monkeys. Vet Med Sci 2022; 9:507-512. [PMID: 36480449 PMCID: PMC9856988 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treponema pallidum (TP) is a spirochaete bacterium with subspecies that in humans cause syphilis (subsp. pallidum), bejel (subsp. endemicum) and yaws (subsp. pertenue; TPE). The latter is target for eradication which requires detailed information on yaws epidemiology. It has been shown that African nonhuman primates (NHPs) are infected with TPE strains that are closely related to the human infecting yaws bacterium. While human yaws infection is known to be endemic in Ghana, there is a paucity of information regarding TPE infection of Ghana's native NHPs. OBJECTIVES The objective was to perform a small-scale cross-sectional serological screening for antibodies against TPE in Ghanaian monkeys. Due to the reports of TPE-infected NHPs from neighbouring Côte d'Ivore, we hypothesised that monkeys in Ghana are infected with TPE and, therefore, are seropositive for antibodies against-Treponema. METHODS We sampled blood from 37 NHPs representing four species: Erythrocebus patas (16/37) 43.2%, Papio anubis (15/37) 40.5%, Chlorocebus sabaeus (3/37) 8.1% and Cercopithecus mona (3/37) 8.1%. Samples were tested using the NHP validated treponemal test ESPLINE TP. RESULTS All 37 animals were seronegative for yaws infection. CONCLUSIONS We cannot exclude yaws infection in NHPs in Ghana at this point. Our study, in combination with the absence of reports of clinically infected NHPs in a yaws endemic country is, however, supportive for the current thinking that interspecies infection with TPE is extremely rare. This is an important finding for the current ongoing yaws eradication campaign.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Adade
- Department of Theoretical and Applied BiologyKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana,Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical MedicineKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
| | - Christian Roos
- Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbHLeibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
| | | | - Augustina Angelina Sylverken
- Department of Theoretical and Applied BiologyKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana,Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical MedicineKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
| | - Sascha Knauf
- Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbHLeibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany,Institute of International Animal Health/One HealthFriedrich‐Loeffler‐InstitutGreifswald ‐ Insel RiemsGermany
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Zinner D, Klapproth M, Schell A, Ohrndorf L, Chala D, Ganzhorn J, Fischer J. Comparative ecology of Guinea baboons ( Papio papio). Primate Biol 2021; 8:19-35. [PMID: 34109265 PMCID: PMC8182668 DOI: 10.5194/pb-8-19-2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Thorough knowledge of the ecology of a species or population is an essential prerequisite for understanding the impact of ecology on the evolution of their respective social systems. Because of their diversity of social organizations, baboons (Papio spp.) are a useful model for comparative studies. Comparative ecological information was missing for Guinea baboons (Papio papio), however. Here we provide data on the ecology of Guinea baboons in a comparative analysis on two geographical scales. First, we compare climate variables and land cover among areas of occurrence of all six baboon species. Second, we describe home range size, habitat use, ranging behaviour, and diet from a local population of Guinea baboons ranging near the Centre de Recherche de Primatologie (CRP) Simenti in the Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal. Home ranges and daily travel distances at Simenti varied seasonally, yet the seasonal patterns in their daily travel distance did not follow a simple dry vs. rainy season pattern. Chemical food composition falls within the range of other baboon species. Compared to other baboon species, areas occupied by Guinea baboons experience the highest variation in precipitation and the highest seasonality in precipitation. Although the Guinea baboons' multi-level social organization is superficially similar to that of hamadryas baboons (P. hamadryas), the ecologies of the two species differ markedly. Most Guinea baboon populations, including the one at Simenti, live in more productive habitats than hamadryas baboons. This difference in the ecology of the two species contradicts a simple evolutionary relation between ecology and social system and suggests that other factors have played an additional role here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-Universität
Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen,
Germany
| | - Matthias Klapproth
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Schell
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Ohrndorf
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Desalegn Chala
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, Blindern,
0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jörg U. Ganzhorn
- Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-Universität
Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen,
Germany
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Mediannikov O, Fenollar F, Davoust B, Amanzougaghene N, Lepidi H, Arzouni JP, Diatta G, Sokhna C, Delerce J, Levasseur A, Raoult D. Epidemic of venereal treponematosis in wild monkeys: a paradigm for syphilis origin. New Microbes New Infect 2020; 35:100670. [PMID: 32368345 PMCID: PMC7184178 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Treponema pallidum infections have been primarily known as slightly contagious mucocutaneous infections called yaws (tropical Africa and America) and bejel (subtropical North Africa). T. pallidum emerged as a highly infectious venereal syphilis agent in South America, probably about 500 years ago, and because of its venereal transmission, it quickly caused a worldwide pandemic. The disease manifests as lesions, including a chancre; then antibodies become detectable when or slightly after the chancre appears, and before the development of a rash and other systemic manifestations. Venereal diseases are poorly known in monkeys. During fieldwork in Senegal, we discovered an epizootic outbreak of venereal disease that we explored. We detected a venereal form of T. pallidum subsp. pertenue infection in green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus), then observed an epizootic outbreak in Senegal and its spread among baboons a year later. Comparative analysis of T. pallidum genomes from the monkeys' chancres and other Treponema genomes showed an acceleration of the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms, comparable to that observed in syphilis. Identified T. pallidum clones seem to be epizootic through the acceleration of their mutation rate, which is linked to their larger diffusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- O. Mediannikov
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - F. Fenollar
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France
| | - B. Davoust
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - N. Amanzougaghene
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - H. Lepidi
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - J.-P. Arzouni
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - G. Diatta
- VITROME, Campus International UCAD-IRD, Dakar, Senegal
| | - C. Sokhna
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France
| | - J. Delerce
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - A. Levasseur
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - D. Raoult
- Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
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Baker BJ, Crane-Kramer G, Dee MW, Gregoricka LA, Henneberg M, Lee C, Lukehart SA, Mabey DC, Roberts CA, Stodder ALW, Stone AC, Winingear S. Advancing the understanding of treponemal disease in the past and present. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171 Suppl 70:5-41. [PMID: 31956996 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Syphilis was perceived to be a new disease in Europe in the late 15th century, igniting a debate about its origin that continues today in anthropological, historical, and medical circles. We move beyond this age-old debate using an interdisciplinary approach that tackles broader questions to advance the understanding of treponemal infection (syphilis, yaws, bejel, and pinta). How did the causative organism(s) and humans co-evolve? How did the related diseases caused by Treponema pallidum emerge in different parts of the world and affect people across both time and space? How are T. pallidum subspecies related to the treponeme causing pinta? The current state of scholarship in specific areas is reviewed with recommendations made to stimulate future work. Understanding treponemal biology, genetic relationships, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations is crucial for vaccine development today and for investigating the distribution of infection in both modern and past populations. Paleopathologists must improve diagnostic criteria and use a standard approach for recording skeletal lesions on archaeological human remains. Adequate contextualization of cultural and environmental conditions is necessary, including site dating and justification for any corrections made for marine or freshwater reservoir effects. Biogeochemical analyses may assess aquatic contributions to diet, physiological changes arising from treponemal disease and its treatments (e.g., mercury), or residential mobility of those affected. Shifting the focus from point of origin to investigating who is affected (e.g., by age/sex or socioeconomic status) and disease distribution (e.g., coastal/ inland, rural/urban) will advance our understanding of the treponemal disease and its impact on people through time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda J Baker
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Gillian Crane-Kramer
- Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, New York
| | - Michael W Dee
- Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Lesley A Gregoricka
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama
| | - Maciej Henneberg
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Unit, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.,Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christine Lee
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Sheila A Lukehart
- Department of Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - David C Mabey
- Communicable Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - Ann L W Stodder
- Office of Archaeological Studies, The Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico
| | - Anne C Stone
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Stevie Winingear
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
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Chuma IS, Batamuzi EK, Collins DA, Fyumagwa RD, Hallmaier-Wacker LK, Kazwala RR, Keyyu JD, Lejora IA, Lipende IF, Lüert S, Paciência FMD, Piel A, Stewart FA, Zinner D, Roos C, Knauf S. Widespread Treponema pallidum Infection in Nonhuman Primates, Tanzania. Emerg Infect Dis 2019; 24:1002-1009. [PMID: 29774840 PMCID: PMC6004850 DOI: 10.3201/eid2406.180037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated Treponema pallidum infection in 8 nonhuman primate species (289 animals) in Tanzania during 2015-2017. We used a serologic treponemal test to detect antibodies against the bacterium. Infection was further confirmed from tissue samples of skin-ulcerated animals by 3 independent PCRs (polA, tp47, and TP_0619). Our findings indicate that T. pallidum infection is geographically widespread in Tanzania and occurs in several species (olive baboons, yellow baboons, vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys). We found the bacterium at 11 of 14 investigated geographic locations. Anogenital ulceration was the most common clinical manifestation; orofacial lesions also were observed. Molecular data show that nonhuman primates in Tanzania are most likely infected with T. pallidum subsp. pertenue-like strains, which could have implications for human yaws eradication.
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Facial and genital lesions in baboons (Papio anubis) of Kibale National Park, Uganda. Primates 2019; 60:109-112. [PMID: 30666470 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-019-00715-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/05/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We describe and document with digital images two adult male baboons (Papio anubis) from the Kibale National Park, Uganda who were infected with some kind of disease having clinical signs suggestive of Treponema pallidum. One of these males was missing his premaxilla, part of the maxilla, upper incisors, canines, and possibly the first premolars. The condition of his scrotum was not seen. The other adult male had prominent inflammation of his scrotum and, to a lesser extent, his penis. Otherwise, both males appeared normal and healthy and were apparently well integrated into the same social group. These observations suggest that an earlier report of an adult female baboon living in the same area who was missing her entire premaxilla and nose and most of her maxilla may have been suffering from a similar infection, rather than a congenital disorder, as previously speculated. If these lesions were due to T. pallidum infections, then this disease has a greater geographical distribution among non-human primates than previously known.
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Complete genome sequences of two strains of Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue from Ghana, Africa: Identical genome sequences in samples isolated more than 7 years apart. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005894. [PMID: 28886021 PMCID: PMC5607219 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue (TPE) is the causative agent of yaws, a multi-stage disease, endemic in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America. To date, four TPE strains have been completely sequenced including three TPE strains of human origin (Samoa D, CDC-2, and Gauthier) and one TPE strain (Fribourg-Blanc) isolated from a baboon. All TPE strains are highly similar to T. pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA) strains. The mutation rate in syphilis and related treponemes has not been experimentally determined yet. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Complete genomes of two TPE strains, CDC 2575 and Ghana-051, that infected patients in Ghana and were isolated in 1980 and 1988, respectively, were sequenced and analyzed. Both strains had identical consensus genome nucleotide sequences raising the question whether TPE CDC 2575 and Ghana-051 represent two different strains. Several lines of evidence support the fact that both strains represent independent samples including regions showing intrastrain heterogeneity (13 and 5 intrastrain heterogeneous sites in TPE Ghana-051 and TPE CDC 2575, respectively). Four of these heterogeneous sites were found in both genomes but the frequency of alternative alleles differed. The identical consensus genome sequences were used to estimate the upper limit of the yaws treponeme evolution rate, which was 4.1 x 10-10 nucleotide changes per site per generation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The estimated upper limit for the mutation rate of TPE was slightly lower than the mutation rate of E. coli, which was determined during a long-term experiment. Given the known diversity between TPA and TPE genomes and the assumption that both TPA and TPE have a similar mutation rate, the most recent common ancestor of syphilis and yaws treponemes appears to be more than ten thousand years old and likely even older.
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