TY - JOUR T1 - Mitochondrial diversity and phylogeographic analysis of Pediculus humanus reveals a new Amazonian clade “F” JF - Infection, Genetics and Evolution Y1 - 2019 DO - 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.02.006 A1 - Nadia Amanzougaghene A1 - Florence Fenollar A1 - Bernard Davoust A1 - Félix Djossou A1 - Muhammad Ashfaq A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - Didier Raoult A1 - Oleg Mediannikov SP - 1 EP - 8 KW - Amazonia KW - Clade F KW - Genetic diversity KW - phylogeography AB -

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.

VL - 70 UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1567134818306750 JO - Infection, Genetics and Evolution ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Contribution à la connaissance des ectoparasites d’oiseaux en Algérie JF - Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France Y1 - 2015 A1 - Fadhila Baziz-Neffah A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - Tahar Kernif A1 - Assia Beneldjouzi A1 - BOUTELLIS, A. A1 - Jean-michel Berenger A1 - Safia Zenia A1 - Salaheddine Doumandji SP - 81 EP - 98 KW - Algeri KW - ectoparasites KW - nest KW - wild and synanthropic birds AB -

Paper in French

Le but de cette étude est d’évaluer la faune ectoparasite des oiseaux synanthro-pes et sauvages de cinq régions du nord de  l’Algérie. Les collectes comprennent 12 espè-ces d’oiseaux : Goéland leucophée (Larus michahellis), Chardonneret (Carduelis car-duelis), Merle noir (Turdus merula), Pigeon biset (Columba livia), Rossignol philomèle(Luscinia megarhynchos), Perdrix choukar  (Alectoris chukar), Gobemouche gris(Muscicapa striata), Mésange bleue (Cyanistes caeruleus), Pigeon ramier  (Columbapalumbus), Rousserolle effarvatte (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), Poule-d’eau (Gallinulachloropus) et Fuligule nyroca  (Aythya nyroca). Les pourcentages des différents ectopa-rasites collectés sont les suivants : acariens mésostigmates (71 %), Ixodida (23 %),Mallophaga (3 %), Hemiptera Cimicidae (2 %) et Siphonaptera (1 %). Les identifica-tions morphologiques,  confirmées dans certains cas par une identification moléculairedu gène mitochondrial ARNr 16S obtenu par réaction de  polymérase en chaîne (PCR),ont mis en évidence 8 espèces : Carios capensis(Argasidae), Hyalomma marginatum  marginatum(Ixodidae), Oeciacus hirundinis(Cimicidae), Menacanthus stramineus(Mallophaga, Monoponidae), Columbicola columbae(Mallophaga, Philoptridae),Dermanyssus gallinaeet Dermanyssussp. (Dermanyssidae) et Dasypsyllus  gallinulae(Siphonaptera, Ceratophyllidae). L’intensité et l’abondance de ces ectoparasites ainsique leur rôle vecteur connu sont discutés et nous avons créé un indice permettant demesurer le risque d’exposition des populations humaines adjacentes.

Mots-clés: ectoparasites ; nids ; oiseaux sauvages, synanthropes, Algérie.

English title: Contribution to the knowledge of bird ectoparasites in Algeria

Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the ectoparasitic fauna from synanthropicand wild birds from five regions of North Algeria. Collections were made from 12 birdspecies: Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis), Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis),Blackbird (Turdus merula), Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar), Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata),Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Reed Warbler(Acrocephalus scirpaceus), Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca). The percentages of ectoparasites collected are: mesostigmaticAcarina 71%, Ixodida 23%, Mallophaga 3%, Hemiptera Cimicidae 2% andSiphonaptera 1%. The morphological identifications, confirmed in part by molecularidentification using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene obtained by polymerase chainreaction (PCR), showed 8 species: Carios capensis (Ixodida, Argasidae), Hyalommamarginatum marginatum (Ixodida, Ixodidae), Oeciacus hirundinis (Hemiptera,Cimicidae), Menacanthus stramineus (Mallophaga, Monoponidae), Columbicola columbae (Mallophaga, Philoptridae), Dermanyssus gallinaeand Dermanyssussp (Mesostimata, Dermanyssidae) and Dasypsyllus gallinulae (Siphonaptera,Ceratophyllidae). Prevalence, intensity and abundance of these ectoparasites, as well astheir potential role as vectors, are discussed and an index is proposed to measure the riskof exposure for adjacent human population

VL - 140 UR - https://societe-zoologique.fr/sites/default/files/revue/2016-10/Z140-2-BazizNeffah.pdf IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Neglected vector-borne bacterial diseases and arboviruses in the Mediterranean area JF - New Microbes and New Infections Y1 - 2018 DO - 10.1016/j.nmni.2018.08.015 A1 - Remi N. Charrel A1 - Jean-michel Berenger A1 - Maureen Laroche A1 - Nazli Ayhan A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - Pascal Delaunay A1 - Parola,Phillipe SP - S31 EP - S36 KW - arbovirus KW - arthropods KW - fleas KW - lice KW - phlebovirus KW - sand fly KW - ticks KW - Toscana virus KW - virus AB -

Arthropod vectors can transmit pathogenic microorganisms from one vertebrate to another during their blood meal. Although some vector- borne diseases have been eradicated in the Mediterranean area, such as malaria and dengue, recent endemic microorganisms (Toscana virus, Rickettsia spp.) remain neglected even though they cause many more cases. New diagnostic tools and innovative tools for the identification and characterization of vector species and microorganisms have been developed at IHU Méditerranée Infection, either internally or through collaborative and integrated projects. We have detected Rickettsia slovaca as a human pathogen and have described the disease; we have shown that Rickettsia felis can be transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes; we have emphasized the increasing importance of bedbug (Cimex lectularius) as a potential vector of Bartonella quintana; and we have described the Toscana virus, a major agent of meningitis and meningoencephalitis which was disseminated in North Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, where it frequently cocirculates with a large number of newly described phleboviruses transmitted by sand flies.

 

VL - 26 UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2052297518300751 IS - 1 JO - New Microbes and New Infections ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Molecular evidence of Rickettsia slovaca in spleen of wild boars in northeastern Algeria JF - New Microbes and New Infections Y1 - 2018 DO - 10.1016/j.nmni.2018.03.008 A1 - Faycal Zeroual A1 - Hamza Leulmi A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - Ahmed Benakhla SP - 17 EP - 20 KW - Algeria KW - spleen KW - Wild boar AB -

Using molecular assays, Rickettsia slovaca, the agent of a spotted fever group rickettsiosis resulting in scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite, was assessed in 92 spleens recovered from 117 wild boars hunted in the far northeast of Algeria. Rickettsia slovaca was detected in 5.4% of tested wild boar spleens. The presence of R. slovaca DNA in boar spleens questions the relationship that may exist between this bacterium and Sus scrofa algira, and its role in human infections.

VL - 24 UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2052297518300283 JO - New Microbes and New Infections ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Detection of bacterial pathogens in clade E head lice collected from Niger’s refugees in Algeria JF - Parasites & Vectors Y1 - 2018 DO - 10.1186/s13071-018-2930-5 A1 - Meriem Louni A1 - Nadia Amanzougaghene A1 - MANA, N. A1 - Florence Fenollar A1 - Didier Raoult A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - Oleg Mediannikov SP - 11 pp KW - Acinetobacter spp. KW - Algeria KW - Coxiella burnetii KW - head lice KW - Migrant population KW - Niger’s refugees KW - Non-migrant population KW - Scholchildren AB -

Background: Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, are obligate blood-sucking parasites. Phylogenetically, they occur in five divergent mitochondrial clades (A, D, B, C and E), each having a particular geographical distribution. Recent studies have revealed that head lice, as is the case of body lice, can act as a vector for louse-borne diseases. Here, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of head lice collected from Niger’s refugees (migrant population) arriving in Algeria, northern Africa, and to look for louse-borne pathogens. Comparative head lice samples collected from indigenous population of schoolchildren (non-immigrant) were also analyzed to frame the study.
Results: In this study, 37 head lice samples were collected from 31 Nigerien refugees, as well as 45 head lice from 27 schoolchildren. The collection was established in three localities of eastern Algiers, north Algeria. Quantitative real-time PCR screening of pathogens bacteria and the genetic characterisation of the head lice satut were performed. Through amplification and sequencing of the cytb gene, results showed that all head lice of Nigerien refugees 37/82 (45.12%) belonged to clade E with the presence of four new haplotypes, while, of the 45 head lice of schoolchildren, 34/82 lice (41.46%) belonged to clade A and 11/82 (13.41%) belonged to clade B. Our study is the first to report the existence of clade E haplogroup in Nigerien head lice. DNA of Coxiella burnetii was detected in 3/37 (8.10%) of the head lice collected from 3 of the 31 (9.67%) migrant population. We also revealed the presence of Acinetobacter DNA in 20/37 (54.05%) of head lice collected from 25/31 (80.64%) of the Nigerien refugees, and in 25/45 (55.55%) head lice collected from 15/27 (55.55%) schoolchildren. All positive Nigerien-head lice for Acinetobacter spp. were identified as A. baumannii, while positive schoolchildren-head lice were identified as A. johnsonii 15/25 (60%), A. variabilis 8/25 (32%) and A. baumannii 2/25 (8%).
Conclusions: Based on these findings from head lice collected on migrant and non-migrant population, our results show, for the first time, that head lice from Niger belong to haplogroup E, and confirm that the clade E had a west African distribution. We also detected, for the first time, the presence of C. burnetii and A. baumannii in these Nigerien head lice. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to determine whether the head lice can transmit these pathogenic bacteria from one person to another.

VL - 11 UR - https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-018-2930-5 IS - 1 JO - Parasites Vectors ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Body lice of homeless people reveal the presence of several emerging bacterial pathogens in northern Algeria JF - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases Y1 - 2018 DO - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006397 A1 - Meriem Louni A1 - MANA, N. A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - Mustapha Dahmani A1 - Parola,Phillipe A1 - Florence Fenollar A1 - Didier Raoult A1 - Oleg Mediannikov ED - Joseph M. Vinetz SP - e0006397 KW - Algeria KW - Anaplasma phagocytophilum KW - bartonella quintana KW - body lice KW - Coxiella burnetii KW - head lice KW - mitochondrial clades AB -

Author summary
Head lice, Pediculus h. capitis, and body lice, Pediculus h. humanus, are obligatory blood- sucking ectoparasites. The body lice occur in two divergent mitochondrial clades (A and D) each exhibiting a particular geographic distribution. Currently, the body louse is the only recognized vector for louse-borne diseases. In this work, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of body lice collected from homeless individuals in Algeria and to investi- gate louse-borne pathogens in these lice. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to show the presence of Bartonella quintana, Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma phagocyto- philum and several species of Acinetobacter in human body lice from Algeria. These find- ings should strongly encourage further epidemiological investigations and surveys of louse-associated infections, and better understanding of the role of body lice as a broader vector of several bacterial pathogens in humans than previously reported in the literature.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Human lice, Pediculus humanus, are obligate blood-sucking parasites. Body lice, Pediculus h. humanus, occur in two divergent mitochondrial clades (A and D) each exhibiting a particular geographic distribution. Currently, the body louse is recognized as the only vector for louse-borne diseases. In this study, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of body lice collected from homeless populations in three localities of northern Algeria, and to investigate louse-borne pathogens in these lice.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
In this study, 524 body lice specimens were collected from 44 homeless people in three localities: Algiers, Tizi Ouzou and Boumerdès located in northern Algeria. Duplex clade specific real-time PCRs (qPCR) and Cytochrome b (cytb) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis were performed in order to identify the mitochondrial clade. Screening of louse-borne pathogens bacteria was based on targeting specific genes for each pathogen using qPCR supplemented by sequencing. All body lice belong to clade A. Through amplification and sequencing of the cytb gene we confirmed the presence of three haplotypes: A5, A9 and A63, which is novel. The molecular investigation of the 524 body lice samples revealed the presence of four human pathogens: Bartonella quintana (13.35%), Coxiella burnetii (10.52%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (0.76%) and Acinetobacter species (A. baumannii, A. johnsonii, A. berezeniae, A. nosocomialis and A. variabilis, in total 46.94%).
 

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:
To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to show the genetic diversity and presence of several emerging pathogenic bacteria in homeless' body lice from Algeria. We also report for the first time, the presence of several species of Acinetobacter in human body lice. Our results highlight the fact that body lice may be suspected as being a much broader vector of several pathogenic agents than previously thought. Nevertheless, other studies are needed to encourage epidemiological investigations and surveys of louse-associated infections.

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.0010979 or https://phthiraptera.myspecies.info/node/96443

VL - 12 UR - https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006397 IS - 4 JO - PLoS Negl Trop Dis ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Evidence that clade A and clade B head lice live in sympatry and recombine in Algeria JF - Medical and Veterinary Entomology Y1 - 2015 DO - 10.1111/mve.2015.29.issue-110.1111/mve.12058 A1 - BOUTELLIS, A. A1 - BITAM, I. A1 - FEKIR, K. A1 - MANA, N. A1 - Didier Raoult SP - 94 EP - 98 KW - clade A KW - clade B KW - Genotype KW - Pediculus humanus capitis KW - recombination KW - sympatry. AB -

Pediculus humanus L. (Psocodea: Pediculidae) can be characterized into three deeply divergent lineages (clades) based on mitochondrial DNA. Clade A consists of both head lice and clothing lice and is distributed worldwide. Clade B consists of head lice only and is mainly found in North and Central America, and in western Europe and Australia. Clade C, which consists only of head lice, is found in Ethiopia, Nepal and Senegal. Twenty-six head lice collected from pupils at different elementary schools in two localities in Algiers (Algeria) were analysed using molecular methods for genotyping lice (cytochrome b and the multi-spacer typing (MST) method. For the first time, we found clade B head lice in Africa living in sympatry with clade A head lice. The phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences of these populations of head lice showed that clade A and clade B head lice had recombined, suggesting that interbreeding occurs when lice live in sympatry.

VL - 29 UR - http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mve.2015.29.issue-1http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mve.12058 IS - 1 JO - Med Vet Entomol ER -