02097nas a2200265 4500008004100000022001400041245014300055210006900198260001600267300001000283490000700293520121000300653003301510653002201543653001801565653002101583100002601604700001701630700002701647700002101674700002301695700001901718700002201737856007201759 2022 eng d a2235-298800aHigh Genetic Diversity and Rickettsia felis in Pediculus humanus Lice Infesting Mbuti (pygmy people), -Democratic Republic of Congo0 aHigh Genetic Diversity and Rickettsia felis in iPediculus humanu cMar-02-2022 a10 pp0 v123 a

Pediculus humanus is an obligate bloodsucking parasite of humans that has two ecotypes, the head louse and the body louse, which share an intimate history of coevolution with their human host. In the present work, we obtained and analysed head and body lice collected from Mbuti pygmies living in the Orientale province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cytochrome b DNA analysis was performed in order to type the six known lice clades (A, D, B, F, C and E). The results revealed the presence of two mitochondrial clades. Clade D was the most frequent (61.7% of 47), followed by clade A (38.3% of 47). Sixteen haplotypes were found in 47 samples, of which thirteen were novel haplotypes, indicating an unusually high genetic diversity that closely mirrors the diversity of their hosts. Moreover, we report for the first time the presence of the DNA of R. felis in three (6.4% of 47) head and body lice belonging to both clades A and D. Additional studies are needed to clarify whether the Pediculus lice can indeed transmit this emerging zoonotic bacterium to their human hosts.

10aDemocratic Republic of Congo10aGenetic diversity10aMbuti pygmies10aRickettsia felis1 aAmanzougaghene, Nadia1 aDrali, Rezak1 aShako, Jean-Christophe1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aFenollar, Florence1 aRaoult, Didier1 aMediannikov, Oleg uhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.834388/full03204nas a2200289 4500008004100000022001400041245010400055210006900159260001300228300001000241490000700251520230800258653001802566653002402584653002202608653001102630653001902641653001502660100002602675700002202701700002202723700002202745700002102767700002302788700001702811856008602828 2020 eng d a1756-330500aMolecular investigation and genetic diversity of Pediculus and Pthirus lice in France0 aMolecular investigation and genetic diversity of iPediculusi and cApr-2020 a11 pp0 v133 a

Background Humans are parasitized by three types of lice: body, head and pubic lice. As their common names imply, each type colonizes a specific region of the body. The body louse is the only recognized disease vector. However, an increasing awareness of head lice as a vector has emerged recently whereas the status of pubic lice as a vector is not known since it has received little attention.

Methods Here, we assessed the occurrence of bacterial pathogens in 107 body lice, 33 head lice and 63 pubic lice from Marseille and Bobigny (France) using molecular methods.

Results Results show that all body lice samples belonged to the cytb Clade A whereas head lice samples belonged to Clades A and B. DNA of Bartonella quintana was detected in 7.5% of body lice samples and, for the first time to our knowledge, in 3.1% of pubic lice samples. Coxiella burnetii, which is not usually associated with transmission by louse, was detected in 3.7% of body lice samples and 3% of head lice samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. burnetii in Pediculus lice infesting humans in France. Acinetobacter DNA was detected in 21.5% of body lice samples, 6% of head lice samples and 9.5% of pubic lice samples. Five species were identified with A. baumannii being the most prevalent.

Conclusions Our study is the first to report the presence of B. quintana in pubic lice. This is also the first report of the presence of DNA of C. burnetii in body lice and head lice in France. Further efforts on the vectorial role of human lice are needed, most importantly the role of pubic lice as a disease vector should be further investigated.

10aAcinetobacter10abartonella quintana10aCoxiella burnetii10aFrance10aPediculus lice10apubic lice1 aAmanzougaghene, Nadia1 aMediannikov, Oleg1 aLy, Tran, Duc Anh1 aGautret, Philippe1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aFenollar, Florence1 aIzri, Arezki uhttps://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-020-04036-y02353nas a2200265 4500008004100000022001300041245009200054210006900146260001200215300001600227490000700243520158800250653001501838653002201853653001101875653002401886653001501910653001401925653001201939653001301951100001801964700002101982700002102003856006302024 2019 eng d a0972898800aVector-borne nematode diseases in pets and humans in the Mediterranean Basin: An update0 aVectorborne nematode diseases in pets and humans in the Mediterr c10-2019 a1630 - 16430 v123 a

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. The scale of VBDs is increasing worldwide, including in the Mediterranean Basin, a region exposed to climate changes. Indeed, weather conditions may influence the abundance and distribution of vectors. The vector-borne nematode diseases of dogs and cats, such as dirofilariosis, onchocercosis, thelaziosis, Cercopithifilaria, and Acanthocheilonema infections, are some of these vectorized diseases, several of which are zoonoses. They are all caused by parasitic nematodes transmitted by arthropods, including mosquitoes (Dirofilaria spp.), black flies (Onchocerca lupi), drosophilids (Thelazia callipaeda), ticks (Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides and Cercopithifilaria bainae), and fleas and lice (Acanthocheilonema reconditum). The control and prevention of these infections and diseases require a multidisciplinary approach based on strengthening collaboration between the different actors in the fields of health, research, sociology, economics, governments and citizens, to improve human, animal, and ecosystem health. This is the concept of “one health.” The review aimed to provide a general update on the spatial and temporal distribution of vector-borne nematodes diseases affecting companion animals and humans, as well as the vectors involved in the Mediterranean area. Simultaneously, certain epidemiological parameters, diagnosis, treatment, and control of these diseases based on the “one health” concept will also be discussed.

10aarthropods10acompanion animals10ahumans10aMediterranean Basin10aone health10aparasites10avectors10azoonoses1 aTahir, Djamel1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aParola, Phillipe uhttp://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.12/October-2019/17.html02947nas a2200277 4500008004100000245013100041210006900172260001200241300000900253490000700262520200500269653002802274653002302302653001202325653003302337653001402370100003702384700002602421700002102447700002002468700003202488700001902520700002202539700002302561856008502584 2019 eng d00aGenetic diversity of human head lice and molecular detection of associated bacterial pathogens in Democratic Republic of Congo0 aGenetic diversity of human head lice and molecular detection of  c06-2019 a9 pp0 v123 a

Background: Head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is an obligatory blood-sucking ectoparasite, distributed worldwide. Phylogenetically, it occurs in five divergent mitochondrial clades (A-E); each exhibiting a particular geographical distribution. Recent studies suggest that, as in the case of body louse, head louse could be a disease vector. We aimed to study the genetic diversity of head lice collected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and to screen for louse-borne pathogens in these lice.

Methods: A total of 181 head lice were collected from 27 individuals at the Monkole Hospital Center located in Kinshasa. All head lice were genotyped and screened for the presence of louse-borne bacteria using molecular methods. We searched for Bartonella quintana, Borrelia recurrentis, Rickettsia prowazekii, Anaplasma spp., Yersinia pestis, Coxiella burnetii and Acinetobacter spp.

Results: Among these head lice, 67.4% (122/181) belonged to clade A and 24.3% (44/181) belonged to clade D. Additionally, for the first time in this area, we found clade E in 8.3% (15/181) of tested lice, from two infested individuals. Dual infestation with clades A and D was observed for 44.4% individuals. Thirty-three of the 181 head lice were infected only by different bacterial species of the genus Acinetobacter. Overall, 16 out of 27 individuals were infested (59.3%). Six Acinetobacter species were detected including Acinetobacter baumannii (8.3%), Acinetobacter johnsonii (1.7%), Acinetobacter soli (1.7%), Acinetobacter pittii (1.7%), Acinetobacter guillouiae (1.1%), as well as a new potential species named "Candidatus Acinetobacter pediculi".

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study reports for the first time, the presence of clade E head lice in DR Congo. This study is also the first to report the presence of Acinetobacter species DNAs in human head lice in DR Congo.

10aAcinetobacter baumannii10aAcinetobacter spp.10aclade E10aDemocratic Republic of Congo10ahead lice1 aBoumbanda-Koyo, Celia, Scherelle1 aAmanzougaghene, Nadia1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aTshilolo, Léon1 aLekana-Douki, Jean, Bernard1 aRaoult, Didier1 aMediannikov, Oleg1 aFenollar, Florence uhttps://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-019-3540-605630nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245012300054210006900177260001200246300001000258490000700268520477800275653001305053653001205066653002205078653001905100100002605119700002305145700002105168700002005189700002105209700001405230700001905244700002205263856006705285 2019 eng d a1567134800aMitochondrial diversity and phylogeographic analysis of Pediculus humanus reveals a new Amazonian clade “F”0 aMitochondrial diversity and phylogeographic analysis of iPedicul c06-2019 a1 - 80 v703 a

Pediculus humanus is an obligate and highly intimate bloodsucking insect parasite of humans that has two ecotypes, head louse and body louse. This study analyzed genetic diversity at three mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b [cytb], cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 [cox1] and 12S ribosomal RNA [12S]) in 98 head lice collected from an isolated Native American population from the Wayampi community in Trois-Sauts, French Guiana. These results are integrated with all prior data of P. humanus (1402 cytb, 743 cox1 and 344 12S) from other parts of the world. The phylogenetic analysis revealed six highly divergent and well-supported monophyletic clades. Five clades corresponded to the previously recognized mitochondrial clades A, D, B, C and E, while the sixth (clade F) was novel, as it exhibited 5.4%, 3.7% and 3.6% divergence at cytb, cox1 and 12S, respectively, from its nearest neighbor clade B. Interestingly, the clade F has only been recovered in a few lice sequences from Mexico and Argentina, while it was the most common lineage in the Amazonian lice, which hints its association with the Native American region. Furthermore, Pediculus mjobergi, a New World monkeys' louse, which is thought to be transmitted to monkeys from the first humans that had reached the American continent thousands of years ago, also belonged to this clade, suggesting that this louse may not be a separate species but an evolutionary lineage of P. humanus. The discovery of new Amazonian clade F with the recovery of additional haplotypes within each of the five clades demonstrates that the levels of genetic diversity in P. humanus are higher than previously thought.

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2019.02.006

Figure  S1. (A)  Cytb  sequences  alignment  and  (B)  DNA  sequence  chromatograms  of clade F haplotypes identified in this study showing the polymorphic sites.

Figure  S2.  (A)  Cox1  sequences  alignment  and  (B)  DNA  sequence  chromatograms  of clade F haplotypes identified in this study showing the polymorphic sites. 

Figure S2.(A) 12S sequences alignment and (B) DNA sequence chromatograms of clade F haplotypes identified in this study showing the polymorphic sites.

Figure  S4.  (A)  12S  sequences  alignment  of  clade  F  haplotypes  and  (B)  12S  DNA sequence chromatogram of P. mjobergi amplified in this study.

Figure  S5.Maximum-likelihood  (ML)  analysis  of Cytb  (A), Cox1  (B)  and  12S  (C) haplotypes of Pediculushumanus. Bootstrap values (500 replicates) are shown above thebranches.  The  scale  bar  shows  K2P  distances.  The  node  for  each  clade  with  multiple haplotypes is collapsed to a vertical triangle, with the horizontal depth indicating the level of intra-clade divergence. Bracketed numbers next to each clade’s name indicate the number of haplotypes  analyzed  and  the  average  intra-clade  distance.  Analyses  were  conducted  in MEGA6.

Table  S1.  Additional  louse  specimens  included  in  this  study,  obtained  from  the  private  frozen collection of world lice belonging to our laboratory.

Table  S2.Pediculus  mjobergi  sequences  from  new  world  monkey  (Alouatta  caraya) included in this study. The cox1 and cytb P. mjobergi sequences analyzed in this study were those  reported  by  Drali  et  al.  (2016)  collected  from  two  monkey  individuals  B2188  and B1395.  The  12S  sequences  were  amplified  in  this  study  from  three P.  mjobergi  specimens from monkey individual B2188.

Table S3. Geographic occurrences and frequencies of cytb haplotypes of human head and body lice.

Table  S4.  Geographic  occurrences  and  frequencies  ofcox1  haplotypes  of  human  head and body lice

Table S5. Geographic occurrences and frequencies of 12S haplotypes of human head 576 and body lice.

Table  S6.  Distribution of  the  head  lice  haplotypes identified  in  this  study,  according  to mitochondrial genes, among the 22 infested Amazonian individuals.

10aAmazonia10aClade F10aGenetic diversity10aphylogeography1 aAmanzougaghene, Nadia1 aFenollar, Florence1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aDjossou, Félix1 aAshfaq, Muhammad1 aBITAM, I.1 aRaoult, Didier1 aMediannikov, Oleg uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S156713481830675000783nas a2200253 4500008004100000245006400041210006300105300001400168490000700182653003700189653000900226653001100235653002000246100002100266700002400287700002700311700001900338700002100357700002000378700002100398700001900419700002200438856006900460 2013 eng d00aPlague epidemics and Lice, Democratic Republic of the Congo0 aPlague epidemics and Lice Democratic Republic of the Congo a505 - 5060 v1910aDemocratic Republic of the Congo10alice10aplague10aYersinia pestis1 aPiarroux, Renaud1 aAbedi, Aaron, Aruna1 aShako, Jean-Christophe1 aKebela, Benoit1 aKarhemere, Stomy1 aDiatta, Georges1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aRaoult, Didier1 aDrancourt, Michel uhttp://phthiraptera.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/94371.pdf01612nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245013300055210006900188260001600257300001400273490000700287520083000294653002401124653001001148653002401158653002001182100001701202700002101219700002701240700001901267700002001286856006401306 2015 eng d a0002-963700aA New Clade of African Body and Head Lice Infected by Bartonella quintana and Yersinia pestis—Democratic Republic of the Congo0 aNew Clade of African Body and Head Lice Infected by Bartonella q cApr-11-2015 a990 - 9930 v933 a

The human body louse is known as a vector for the transmission of three serious diseases—specifically, epi- demic typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever caused by Rickettsia prowazekii, Bartonella quintana, and Borrelia recurrentis, respectively—that have killed millions of people. It is also suspected in the transmission of a fourth pathogen, Yersinia pestis, which is the etiologic agent of plague. To date, human lice belonging to the genus Pediculus have been classified into three mitochondrial clades: A, B, and C. Here, we describe a fourth mitochondrial clade, Clade D, comprising head and body lice. Clade D may be a vector of B. quintana and Y. pestis, which is prevalent in a highly plague-endemic area near the Rethy Health District, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

10abartonella quintana10aCongo10amitochondrial clade10aYersinia pestis1 aDrali, Rezak1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aShako, Jean-Christophe1 aRaoult, Didier1 aDiatta, Georges uhttp://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/10.4269/ajtmh.14-068603239nas a2200277 4500008004100000245009900041210006900140260001600209300001300225490000700238520239500245653002502640653001002665653001202675100002602687700001702713700002402730700002102754700002802775700002402803700002302827700001902850700002202869700001802891856005202909 2016 eng d00aHead Lice of Pygmies Reveal the Presence of Relapsing Fever Borreliae in the Republic of Congo0 aHead Lice of Pygmies Reveal the Presence of Relapsing Fever Borr cFeb-12-2016 ae00051420 v103 a

Background
Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, occur in four divergent mitochondrial clades (A, B, C and D), each having particular geographical distributions. Recent studies suggest that head lice, as is the case of body lice, can act as a vector for louse-borne diseases. Therefore, understanding the genetic diversity of lice worldwide is of critical importance to our under- standing of the risk of louse-borne diseases. 


Methodology/Principal Findings
Here, we report the results of the first molecular screening of pygmies’ head lice in the Republic of Congo for seven pathogens and an analysis of lice mitochondrial clades. We developed two duplex clade-specific real-time PCRs and identified three major mitochon- drial clades: A, C, and D indicating high diversity among the head lice studied. We identified the presence of a dangerous human pathogen, Borrelia recurrentis, the causative agent of relapsing fever, in ten clade A head lice, which was not reported in the Republic of Congo, and B. theileri in one head louse. The results also show widespread infection among head lice with several species of Acinetobacter. A. junii was the most prevalent, followed by A. ursingii, A. baumannii, A. johnsonii, A. schindleri, A. lwoffii, A. nosocomialis and A. towneri.


Conclusions/Significance
Our study is the first to show the presence of B. recurrentis in African pygmies’ head lice in the Republic of Congo. This study is also the first to report the presence of DNAs of B. thei- leri and several species of Acinetobacter in human head lice. Further studies are needed to determine whether the head lice can transmit these pathogenic bacteria from person to another.

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/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0010925 or https://phthiraptera.myspecies.info/node/96442

 

10aBorrelia recurrentis10aCongo10aPygmies1 aAmanzougaghene, Nadia1 aAkiana, Jean1 aMongo-Ndombe, Géor1 aDavoust, Bernard1 aNsana, Nardiouf, Sjelin1 aParra, Henri-Joseph1 aFenollar, Florence1 aRaoult, Didier1 aMediannikov, Oleg1 aLopez, Job, E uhttp://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005142