Human Treponema pallidum 11q/j isolate belongs to subsp. endemicum but contains two loci with a sequence in TP0548 and TP0488 similar to subsp. pertenue and subsp. pallidum, respectively

Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum (TEN) is the causative agent of endemic syphilis (bejel). An unusual human TEN 11q/j isolate was obtained from a syphilis-like primary genital lesion from a patient that returned to France from Pakistan. The TEN 11q/j isolate was characterized using nested PCR fol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2017-03, Vol.11 (3), p.e0005434-e0005434
Main Authors: Mikalová, Lenka, Strouhal, Michal, Oppelt, Jan, Grange, Philippe Alain, Janier, Michel, Benhaddou, Nadjet, Dupin, Nicolas, Šmajs, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age
Antigens
Bacteria
Bacterial infections
Biochemistry
Biological evolution
Biology
Biology and Life Sciences
Bones
Chemotaxis
Children
Chimpanzees
Chromosome 11
Chronic infection
Classification
Cluster Analysis
Computer applications
Cross sections
Data acquisition
Data processing
Decision analysis
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Descartes
DNA
DNA sequencing
Evolution, Molecular
Evolutionary genetics
France
Gene expression
Genetic aspects
Genetic Loci
Genetic Variation
Genomes
Genotype
Grants
Health aspects
Heterogeneity
Humans
Infections
Infectious diseases
Larynx
Lesions
Loci
Male
Medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Membrane proteins
Microbiology
Mitochondrial DNA
Mucosa
Nasopharynx
Nucleotide sequence
Oral cavity
Pakistan
Penicillin
People and Places
Phylogeny
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Proteins
Public health
Recombination
Recombination, Genetic
Reconstruction
Research and analysis methods
Separation
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sequence Homology
Skin diseases
Syphilis
Syphilis - microbiology
Travel
Treponema pallidum
Treponema pallidum - genetics
Treponema pallidum - isolation & purification
Tropical diseases
Typing
Yaws
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Summary:Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum (TEN) is the causative agent of endemic syphilis (bejel). An unusual human TEN 11q/j isolate was obtained from a syphilis-like primary genital lesion from a patient that returned to France from Pakistan. The TEN 11q/j isolate was characterized using nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing and/or direct Illumina sequencing. Altogether, 44 chromosomal regions were analyzed. Overall, the 11q/j isolate clustered with TEN strains Bosnia A and Iraq B as expected from previous TEN classification of the 11q/j isolate. However, the 11q/j sequence in a 505 bp-long region at the TP0488 locus was similar to Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA) strains, but not to TEN Bosnia A and Iraq B sequences, suggesting a recombination event at this locus. Similarly, the 11q/j sequence in a 613 bp-long region at the TP0548 locus was similar to Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue (TPE) strains, but not to TEN sequences. A detailed analysis of two recombinant loci found in the 11q/j clinical isolate revealed that the recombination event occurred just once, in the TP0488, with the donor sequence originating from a TPA strain. Since TEN Bosnia A and Iraq B were found to contain TPA-like sequences at the TP0548 locus, the recombination at TP0548 took place in a treponeme that was an ancestor to both TEN Bosnia A and Iraq B. The sequence of 11q/j isolate in TP0548 represents an ancestral TEN sequence that is similar to yaws-causing treponemes. In addition to the importance of the 11q/j isolate for reconstruction of the TEN phylogeny, this case emphasizes the possible role of TEN strains in development of syphilis-like lesions.
ISSN:1935-2735
1935-2727
1935-2735
DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005434