Isolation of Treponema DNA from Necrophagous Flies in a Natural Ecosystem
Sascha Knauf,
Jane Raphael,
Oriol Mitjà,
Inyasi A.V. Lejora,
Idrissa S. Chuma,
Emmanuel K. Batamuzi,
Julius D. Keyyu,
Robert Fyumagwa,
Simone Lüert,
Charmie Godornes,
Hsi Liu,
Christiane Schwarz,
David Šmajs,
Philippe Grange,
Dietmar Zinner,
Christian Roos,
Sheila A. Lukehart
Affiliations
Sascha Knauf
Work Group Neglected Tropical Diseases, Pathology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Jane Raphael
Ecology Monitoring Department, Tanzania National Parks, P.O. Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania
Oriol Mitjà
ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Inyasi A.V. Lejora
Ecology Monitoring Department, Tanzania National Parks, P.O. Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania
Idrissa S. Chuma
Ecology Monitoring Department, Tanzania National Parks, P.O. Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania
Emmanuel K. Batamuzi
Department of Surgery and Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3020, Morogoro, Tanzania
Julius D. Keyyu
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box. 661, Arusha, Tanzania
Robert Fyumagwa
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box. 661, Arusha, Tanzania
Simone Lüert
Work Group Neglected Tropical Diseases, Pathology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Charmie Godornes
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Hsi Liu
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Christiane Schwarz
Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
David Šmajs
Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
Philippe Grange
Laboratoire de Dermatologie, Centre National de Reference de la Syphilis, 75014 Paris, France
Dietmar Zinner
Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Christian Roos
Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Sheila A. Lukehart
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Background: Recently, the World Health Organization launched a campaign to eradicate the tropical disease yaws, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue; however, for decades researchers have questioned whether flies act as a vector for the pathogen that could facilitate transmission. Methods: A total of 207 fly specimens were trapped in areas of Africa in which T. pallidum-induced skin ulcerations are common in wild baboons; 88 flies from Tarangire National Park and 119 from Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania were analyzed by PCR for the presence of T. pallidum DNA. Findings: We report that in the two study areas, T. pallidum DNA was found in 17–24% of wild-caught flies of the order Diptera. Treponemal DNA sequences obtained from many of the flies match sequences derived from nearby baboon T. pallidum strains, and one of the fly species with an especially high prevalence of T. pallidum DNA, Musca sorbens, has previously been shown to transmit yaws in an experimental setting. Interpretation: Our results raise the possibility that flies play a role in yaws transmission; further research is warranted, given how important understanding transmission is for the eradication of this disfiguring disease.
