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Typing of Treponema pallidum in a Brazilian sample and follow-up of treatment using molecular assays

  • Bacterial, Fungal and Virus Molecular Biology - Short Communication
  • Published:
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Abstract

Syphilis remains a significant public health concern, with serological assays being the primary method for diagnosis. However, molecular techniques have proven to be reliable tools for the diagnosis and understanding of the transmission dynamics of Treponema pallidum infection. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of syphilis treatment using molecular assays, perform Enhanced Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) typing, and analyze resistance (macrolide and doxycycline) in the T. pallidum isolate. PCR assay amplified treponemal DNA only from the lesion sample, whereas qPCR was able to amplify DNA in both lesion and blood samples before treatment. Throughout the treatment follow-up, qPCR effectively did not identify treponemal DNA in the blood for up to one to two weeks after treatment. ECDC typing revealed the genotype 14 e/g in the Brazilian T. pallidum isolate, and the presence of the A2058G mutation in 23 S rRNA gene, indicating macrolide resistance. Although, the G1058C mutation in 16 S rRNA gene was not detected. Notably, qPCR demonstrated its potential for diagnosing T. pallidum in blood samples, even when the treponemal DNA levels were low, enabling more accurate and sensitive diagnosis and guiding better syphilis therapy. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first identification of subtype 14 e/g and azithromycin resistance in a Brazilian T. pallidum isolate.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq ), Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT grants 092/2015 and 041/2017), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD). JHFSQ received a scholarship from FUNDECT and S.S from CNPq. The funding agencies had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Laboratório de Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados - UFGD, Rodovia Dourados-Itahum km 12, Cidade Universitária, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil

    Júlio Henrique Ferreira de Sá Queiroz, Tiago da Silva Ferreira, Kelle Cristhiane Soria Vieira Benedetti, Anny Danyelly da Costa Ribeiro, Ronaldo Omizolo de Souza & Simone Simionatto

  2. Hospital Universitário da UFGD (HU-UFGD), Empresa Brasileira de Serviços Hospitalares (EBSERH), 79804000, Dourados, Brasil

    Kelle Cristhiane Soria Vieira Benedetti & Anny Danyelly da Costa Ribeiro

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  1. Júlio Henrique Ferreira de Sá Queiroz
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  2. Tiago da Silva Ferreira
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  3. Kelle Cristhiane Soria Vieira Benedetti
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  6. Simone Simionatto
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Correspondence to Simone Simionatto.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical aspects

This study was conducted with the approval of the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados under protocol number 1.402.529.

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Responsible Editor: Fernando R. Pavan.

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Supplementary Material 1: Supplementary Fig. 1. The map of the study.

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Ferreira de Sá Queiroz, J.H., Ferreira, T., Soria Vieira Benedetti, K.C. et al. Typing of Treponema pallidum in a Brazilian sample and follow-up of treatment using molecular assays. Braz J Microbiol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-024-01342-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-024-01342-w

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