@article {96491, title = {Human louse-transmitted infectious diseases}, journal = {Clinical Microbiology and Infection}, volume = {18}, year = {2012}, month = {Apr-01-2012}, pages = {332-337}, abstract = {

Several of the infectious diseases associated with human lice are life-threatening, including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and trench
fever, which are caused by Rickettsia prowazekii, Borrelia recurrentis, and Bartonella quintana, respectively. Although these diseases have been known for several centuries, they remain a major public health concern in populations living in poor-hygiene conditions because of war, social disruption, severe poverty, or gaps in public health management. Poor-hygiene conditions favour a higher prevalence of body lice, which are the main vectors for these diseases. Trench fever has been reported in both developing and developed countries in populations living in poor conditions, such as homeless individuals. In contrast, outbreaks of epidemic typhus and epidemic relapsing fever have occurred in jails and refugee camps in developing countries. However, reports of a significantly high seroprevalence for epidemic typhus and epidemic relapsing fever in the homeless populations of developed countries suggest that these populations remain at high risk for outbreaks of these diseases. Additionally, experimental laboratory studies have demonstrated that the body louse can transmit other emerging or re-emerging pathogens, such as Acinetobacter baumannii and Yersinia pestis. Therefore, a strict survey of louse-borne diseases and the implementation of efficient delousing strategies in these populations should be public health priorities.

}, keywords = {bartonella quintana, body louse, Borrelia recurrentis, epidemic typhus, homelessness, lice, refugees, Relapsing Fever, rickettsia prowazekii, trench fever}, issn = {1198-743X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03778.x}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1198743X14614439}, author = {Badiaga,S. and Brouqui,Philippe} } @article {95266, title = {The Presence of Acinetobacter baumannii DNA on the Skin of Homeless People and Its Relationship With Body Lice Infestation.}, journal = {Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology}, volume = {9}, year = {2019}, month = {04-2019}, pages = {16pp}, abstract = {

The presence of Acinetobacter baumannii was demonstrated in body lice, however, little is known about the mechanism of natural lice infection. In 2013 and 2014, cross-sectional one-day studies were therefore performed within two Marseille homeless shelters to assess the presence of A. baumannii DNA on human skin, blood and in body lice collected from the same homeless individuals. All 332 participants completed questionnaires, were examined for dermatologic signs, and provided four skin samples (hair, neck, armpits, and pelvic belt), blood samples and body lice (if any). We developed a new real-time PCR tool targeting the ompA/motB gene for the detection of A. baumannii for all collected samples. Blood culture was also performed. Body lice were found in 24/325 (7.4\%) of subjects. We showed a prevalence of A. baumannii DNA skin-carriage in 33/305 (10.8\%) of subjects. No difference was found in A. baumannii DNA prevalence according to body sites. A strong association between body lice infestation (OR = 3.07, p = 0.029) and A. baumannii DNA skin-carriage was noted. In lice, A. baumannii DNA was detected in 59/219 arthropods (26.9\%). All blood cultures and real-time PCR on blood samples were negative for A. baumannii. Lice probably get infected with A. baumannii while biting through the colonized skin and likely transmit the bacteria in their feces. We found no evidence that lice facilitate the invasion of A. baumannii into the blood stream. Further investigations are needed to compare phenotypic and genotypic features of A. baumannii isolates from human skin and lice from the same individuals.

}, keywords = {Acinetobacter baumannii; body lice; homeless; ompA/motB; skin}, doi = {10.3389/fcimb.2019.00086}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00086/full}, author = {Tran Duc Anh Ly and Jad Kerbaj and Sophie Edouard and Van Thuan Hoang and Meriem Louni and Thi Loi Dao and Samir Benkouiten and Badiaga,S. and Tissot-Dupont,H. and Didier Raoult and Brouqui,Philippe and Oleg Mediannikov and Philippe Gautret} } @article {94803, title = {Evidence That Head and Body Lice on Homeless Persons Have the Same Genotype}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {7}, year = {2012}, month = {09-2014}, pages = {e45903}, type = {Open Access}, abstract = {

Human head lice and body lice are morphologically and biologically similar but have distinct ecologies. They were shown to have almost the same basic genetic content (one gene is absent in head lice), but differentially express certain genes, presumably responsible for the vector competence. They are now believed to be ecotypes of the same species (Pediculus humanus) and based on mitochondrial studies, body lice have been included with head lice in one of three clades of human head lice (Clade A). Here, we tested whether head and body lice collected from the same host belong to the same population by examining highly polymorphic intergenic spacers. This study was performed on lice collected from five homeless persons living in the same shelter in which Clade A lice are prevalent. Lice were individually genotyped at four spacer loci. The genetic identity and diversity of lice from head and body populations were compared for each homeless person. Population genetic structure was tested between lice from the two body regions and between the lice from different host individuals.

We found two pairs of head and body lice on the same homeless person with identical multi locus genotypes. No difference in genetic diversity was found between head and body louse populations and no evidence of significant structure between the louse populations was found, even after controlling for a possible effect of the host individual. More surprisingly, no structure was obvious between lice of different homeless persons.

We believe that the head and body lice collected from our five subjects belong to the same population and are shared between people living in the same shelter. These findings confirm that head and body lice are two ecotypes of the same species and show the importance of implementing measures to prevent lice transmission between homeless people in shelters.

Dec 2022- This article has been identified as one of a series of submissions for which we have concerns about the reported research ethics approval information and the article\’s adherence to PLOS research ethics policies.

PLOS will be investigating these concerns in accordance with COPE guidance and journal policies. Meanwhile, the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases Editors issue this Expression of Concern\  see https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278000 or https://phthiraptera.myspecies.info/node/96446

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045903}, url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045903}, author = {Veracx, Aur{\'e}lie and Romain Rivet and McCoy,K. D. and Brouqui,Philippe and Didier Raoult} } @article {94246, title = {Distinguishing Body Lice from Head Lice by Multiplex Real-Time PCR Analysis of the Phum_PHUM540560 Gene}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, year = {2013}, month = {Apr-02-2015}, pages = {e58088}, abstract = {

Abstract
Background: Body louse or head louse? Once removed from their environment, body and head lice are indistinguishable. Neither the morphological criteria used since the mid-18th century nor the various genetic studies conducted since the advent of molecular biology tools have allowed body lice and head lice to be differentiated. In this work, using a portion of the Phum_PHUM540560 gene from the body louse, we aimed to develop a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to differentiate between body and head lice in a single reaction.


Materials and Methods: A total of 142 human lice were collected from mono-infested hosts from 13 countries on five continents. We first identified the louse clade using a cytochrome b (CYTB) PCR sequence alignment. We then aligned a fragment of the Phum_PHUM540560 gene amplified from head and body lice to design-specific TaqMan\ß FAM- and VIC- labeled probes.


Results: All the analyzed lice were Clade A lice. A total of 22 polymorphisms between the body and head lice were characterized. The multiplex real-time PCR analysis enabled the body and head lice to be distinguished in two hours. This method is simple, with 100\% specificity and sensitivity.


Conclusions: We confirmed that the Phum_PHUM540560 gene is a useful genetic marker for the study of lice.

Dec 2022- This article has been identified as one of a series of submissions for which we have concerns about the reported research ethics approval information and the article\’s adherence to PLOS research ethics policies.

PLOS will be investigating these concerns in accordance with COPE guidance and journal policies. Meanwhile, the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases Editors issue this Expression of Concern see https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278004 or https://phthiraptera.myspecies.info/node/96447

}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0058088}, url = {http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058088}, author = {Rezak Drali and BOUTELLIS, A. and Didier Raoult and Jean-Marc Rolain and Brouqui,Philippe}, editor = {Aziz, Ramy K.} } @article {46239, title = {Chronic Bartonella quintana bacteremia in homeless patients}, journal = {New England Journal of Medicine}, volume = {340}, year = {1999}, note = {LR: 20041117; JID: 0255562; 0 (Antibodies, Bacterial); 0 (DNA, Bacterial); ppublish}, month = {1999}, pages = {184 - 189}, address = {UNITED STATES}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Infection with Bartonella quintana can cause trench fever, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis. An outbreak of bacteremia due to B. quintana has been reported among homeless people in Seattle, and the seroprevalence is high among homeless people in both the United States and Europe. Body lice are known to be the vectors of B. quintana. METHODS: We studied all the homeless people who presented in 1997 to the emergency departments of the University Hospital, Marseilles, France. Blood was collected for microimmunofluorescence testing for antibodies against B. quintana and for culture of the bacterium. Body lice were collected and analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of a portion of the citrate synthase gene of B. quintana. RESULTS: In 10 of 71 homeless patients (14 percent), blood cultures were positive for B. quintana, and 21 of the patients (30 percent) had high titers of antibody against the organism. A total of 17 patients (24 percent) had evidence of recent infection (bacteremia or seroconversion). Tests of lice from 3 of the 15 patients from whom they were collected were positive for B. quintana. The homeless people with B. quintana bacteremia were more likely to have been exposed to lice (P=0.002), were more likely to have headaches (P=0.03) and severe leg pain (P<0.001), and had lower platelet counts (P=0.006) than the homeless people who were seronegative for B. quintana and did not have bacteremia; 8 of the 10 patients with bacteremia were afebrile. Five patients had chronic bacteremia, as indicated by positive blood cultures over a period of several weeks. CONCLUSIONS: In an outbreak of urban trench fever among homeless people in Marseilles, B. quintana infections were associated with body lice in patients with nonspecific symptoms or no symptoms.}, keywords = {adult, animals, Antibodies, Bacterial/blood, Bacteremia/complications/epidemiology/microbiology, Bartonella quintana/genetics/immunology/isolation \& purification, Disease Outbreaks, dna, France, homeless, humans, Middle Aged, Pediculus, Seroepidemiologic Studies, trench fever}, isbn = {0028-4793}, author = {Brouqui,Philippe and La Scola,Bernard and Roux,Veronique and Didier Raoult} } @article {46093, title = {Detection and culture of Bartonella quintana, Serratia marcescens, and Acinetobacter spp. from decontaminated human body lice}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Microbiology}, volume = {39}, year = {2001}, month = {2001}, pages = {1707 - 1709}, abstract = {As part of a survey for trench fever among homeless people in Marseilles, France, we attempted isolation of Bartonella quintana from body lice. A decontamination protocol of immersion in 70\% ethanol with 0.2\% iodine was devised and was tested with a laboratory colony of body lice. Lice which had been experimentally contaminated with either Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, or Acinetobacter spp. were successfully decontaminated, and this process did not prevent the culture of B. quintana from these lice. One hundred sixty-one lice obtained from homeless patients were studied by the protocol. B. quintana was isolated on axenic medium from 15 of 161 body lice and was detected in 41 of 161 lice by PCR. Acinetobacter spp. and Serratia marcescens were also isolated from body lice. The sensitivities of PCR and culture of B. quintana were 98 and 36\%, respectively. These procedures may be useful for epidemiologic studies of trench fever and for the recovery of strains for characterization and comparison.}, keywords = {Acinetobacter, animals, Bartonella quintana/classification/genetics/isolation \& purification, Culture Media, dna, homeless, humans, Iodine/pharmacology, Pediculus, polymerase, Sensitivity and Specificity, Serratia, trench fever}, url = {http://www.phthiraptera.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/44916.pdf}, author = {La Scola,Bernard and Pierre-Edouard Fournier and Brouqui,Philippe and Didier Raoult} }