Publications

genetic relationship between treponema pallidum and treponema pertenue, two noncultivable human pathogens.	genetic relationships among two strains of treponema pallidum (nichols and kkj) and a strain of t. pertenue were determined by measuring the degree of deoxyribonucleic acid sequence homology. the results in indicated that these three virulent, noncultivable treponemes were genetically indistinguishable. like t. pallidum (nichols), t. pertenue (gauthier) had no detectable deoxyribonucleic acid sequence homology with t. phagedenis (biotype reiter), t. refringens (biotype noguchi), or with salmon s ...	1980	6986367
lsh hamster model of syphilitic infection.	the inbred lsh/se lak strain of hamster can be infected with treponema pallidum bosnia a, the causative agent of endemic syphilis. when infected, this strain consistently produced extensive chronic skin lesions that persisted for 6 to 9 months, even in the presence of peak antitreponemal antibody titers. the lymph nodes increased in weight and contained measurable numbers of treponemes. this infection also gave the hamster cross-immunity to t. pallidum nichols and treponema pertenue, the causati ...	1980	6995327
analysis of the anticomplementary activity in sera of three african patients with parasitic and bacteriological infections.	the sera of three different patients from togo, africa were investigated with respect to their complement profile. the three patients were suffering from parasitic (onchocerca volvulus) and bacteriological (treponema pertenue) diseases. the total hemolytic activity (50% hemolytic complement) was markedly depressed. the analysis of the individual complement components revealed the the titers of c1, c2, c3, and c4 were lowered up to 90%, indicating an activation of the classical pathway of complem ...	1980	7358423
mitogenic responses of hamsters infected with treponema pertenue lack of correlation with passive transfer of resistance.	infection of the cb/ss lak hamster with treponema pertenue is characterised by chronic cutaneous lesions and lymph nodes teeming with treponemes. throughout the course of infection lymph node and spleen cells responded poorly to the mitogens concanavalin a, phytohaemagglutinin, and lipopolysaccharide. this impairment preceded clinical signs of infection and correlated well with the chronicity of framboesial infection. high concentrations of antigen from t pertenue, but not from the non-pathogeni ...	1982	7127055
molecular basis of immunological cross-reactivity between treponema pallidum and treponema pertenue.	protein antigens of treponema pallidum, nichols strain, and treponema pertenue, gauthier strain, were identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blotting techniques. treponemal proteins were solubilized in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, electrophoresed on 12.5% polyacrylamide gels, and either stained with coomassie brilliant blue or electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose paper. these antigen blots were incubated with sera from rabbits infected with ...	1983	6358028
comparison of major protein antigens and protein profiles of treponema pallidum and treponema pertenue.	the protein profiles of treponema pallidum and treponema pertenue, the causative agents of syphilis and yaws, respectively, were compared by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. one-dimensional gels showed essentially no differences in the protein patterns of these treponemes. on two-dimensional gels most radiolabeled protein species were shared; however, variations were noticed in several minor protein species. antigenic comparison by radioimmunoprecipitation and western blotting also ...	1983	6358027
interaction of treponema pallidum with isolated rabbit capillary tissues.	within infected tissue treponema pallidum shows a characteristic predilection for perivascular areas. after intact capillaries had been prepared from rabbit brain tissue treponemes were incubated with isolated capillaries and visualised by darkfield, phase contrast, and scanning electron microscopy. the organisms rapidly attached to the surface of the capillaries at the tip of the treponeme; attached organisms retained motility for longer periods than unattached organisms. treponema pertenue als ...	1983	6337679
development and evaluation of a monoclonal antibody inhibition enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to diagnose syphilis.	a highly specific inhibition enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) using murine monoclonal antibodies to treponemes has been developed to diagnose syphilis. the monoclonal antibodies used in this study were reactive to antigens of both treponema pallidum and treponema pertenue and not to antigens of non-pathogenic treponemes. inhibition of the binding of monoclonal antibody to the treponemal antigens was successful with serum antibodies of patients with syphilis in an inhibition elisa using ...	1989	2684841
ultrastructural aspects of infection with treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue (pariaman strain).	to study ultrastructural aspects of infection with treponema pertenue (pariaman strain), originating from west sumatra, indonesia.	1991	1743714
syphilis: review with emphasis on clinical, epidemiologic, and some biologic features.	syphilis is a chronic disease with a waxing and waning course, the manifestations of which have been described for centuries. it occurs worldwide, and the incidence varies significantly with geographic location. transmission is mainly by sexual contact. the causative organism, treponema pallidum, was first described in 1905, but because of the inability to culture the organism and the limitations of direct microscopy, serologic testing is the mainstay of laboratory diagnosis. the disease has bee ...	1999	10194456
genetic and structural analyses of cytoplasmic filaments of wild-type treponema phagedenis and a flagellar filament-deficient mutant.	unique cytoplasmic filaments are found in the treponeme genus of spirochete bacteria. their function is unknown, but their location underneath the periplasmic flagellar filaments (pff) suggests a role in motility and/or cell structure. to better understand these unique structures, the gene coding for the cytoplasmic filaments, cfpa, was identified in various treponemal species. treponema phagedenis cfpa was 2,037 nucleotides long, and the encoded polypeptide showed 78 to 100% amino acid sequence ...	1999	10542176
treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue displays pathogenic properties different from those of t. pallidum subsp. pallidum.	the present study described the susceptibility of c4d guinea pigs to cutaneous infection with treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue haiti b strain. the general manifestations of the disease in adults and neonates differ, to a certain degree, from those induced by t. pallidum subsp. pallidum nichols strain. noticeable differences between the infections were reflected in the character of the skin lesions, their onset and persistence, and the kinetics of the humoral response. the incidence and dissemi ...	2000	10816466
bacterial comparative genomics.		2004	15287971
molecular studies in treponema pallidum evolution: toward clarity?		2008	18357339
persisting atypical and cystic forms of borrelia burgdorferi and local inflammation in lyme neuroborreliosis.	the long latent stage seen in syphilis, followed by chronic central nervous system infection and inflammation, can be explained by the persistence of atypical cystic and granular forms of treponema pallidum. we investigated whether a similar situation may occur in lyme neuroborreliosis.	2008	18817547
the early years of toxoplasma research: what's past is prologue.	in the century since the first description of toxoplasma gondii history and circumstance have led scientists to define this organism in diverse contexts. from its discovery by researchers shaped by early 20th century versions of the germ theory to its more recent roles as an important globally distributed pathogen and a model apicomplexan, our definitions of toxoplasma are as much a reflection of our frame of reference as they are an absolute definition of this organism. although these transform ...	2009	19250939
clinical outcome of skin yaws lesions after treatment with benzathinebenzylpenicillin in a pygmy population in lobaye, central african republic.	abstract: background: yaws is a bacterial skin and bone infectious disease caused by treponema pallidum pertenue. it is endemic, particularly among pygmies in central african republic. to assess the clinical cure rate after treatment with benzathinepenicillin in this population, we conducted a cohort survey of 243 patients in the lobaye region. findings and conclusion the rate of healing of lesions after 5 months was 95.9%. this relatively satisfactory level of therapeutic response implies tha ...	2011	22171605
yaws in the western pacific region: a review of the literature.	until the middle of the 20th century, yaws was highly endemic and considered a serious public health problem in the western pacific region (wpr), leading to intensive control efforts in the 1950s-1960s. since then, little attention has been paid to its reemergence. its current burden is unknown. this paper presents the results of an extensive literature review, focusing on yaws in the south pacific. available records suggest that the region remains largely free of yaws except for papua new guine ...	2011	22235208
complete genome sequence of treponema pallidum strain dal-1.	treponema pallidum strain dal-1 is a human uncultivable pathogen causing the sexually transmitted disease syphilis. strain dal-1 was isolated from the amniotic fluid of a pregnant woman in the secondary stage of syphilis. here we describe the 1,139,971 bp long genome of t. pallidum strain dal-1 which was sequenced using two independent sequencing methods (454 pyrosequencing and illumina). in rabbits, strain dal-1 replicated better than the t. pallidum strain nichols. the comparison of the comple ...	2012	23449808
nodular secondary syphilis in a woman.	we report the case of a 21-year-old woman with symmetrically distributed, ulcerated nodules and plaques on the face, neck and arms. initial differential diagnoses included pyoderma or sarcoidosis based on the clinical presentation and histopathology with non-caseating granulomas. after inefficient treatment with topical and systemic fusidic acid and steroids, we diagnosed nodular secondary syphilis owing to positive serology and immunohistochemical staining of treponema pallidum in lesional skin ...	2013	23661656
epidemiology of yaws: an update.	yaws, a neglected tropical disease, is targeted for eradication by 2020 through large-scale mass-treatment programs of endemic communities. a key determinant for the success of the eradication campaign is good understanding of the disease epidemiology. we did a review of historical trends and new information from endemic countries, with the aim of assessing the state of knowledge on yaws disease burden. transmission of yaws is now present in africa, asia, and the south pacific. at least 12 count ...	2014	24729728
brief history of syphilis.	before the discovery of treponema pallidum as the etiologic agent, the origins of syphilis have been the subject of several debates. diverse therapeutic agents were employed in an attempt to cure the disease. examining the milestones in the history of syphilis, the present article reviews the existing theories that tried to explain the origins of the disease, the approach in art, the cultural and the evolution of the treatments from the empiric means to the discovery of penicillin.	2014	24653750
unexploited opportunities for phage therapy.		2015	26441644
canadian public health laboratory network national syphilis laboratory testing recommendations: introduction.		2015	25798164
ochre bathing of the bearded vulture: a bio-mimetic model for early humans towards smell prevention and health.	since primordial times, vultures have been competing with man for animal carcasses. one of these vultures, the once widespread bearded vulture ( gypaetus barbatus ), has the habit of bathing its polluted feathers and skin in red iron oxide - ochre - tainted water puddles. why? primitive man may have tried to find out and may have discovered its advantages. red ochre, which has accompanied human rituals and everyday life for more than 100,000 years, is not just a simple red paint for decoration o ...	2016	26784238
cancrum oris (noma): the role of nutrition in management.	cancrum oris (noma) is caused by the spirochete borrelia vincenti in association with anaerobic bacteria, commonly a member of the fusobacteria. the disease occurs in deprived and undernourished individuals with poor hygiene. we present a case of clinically diagnosed cancrum oris in a 2-year old child in sub-saharan africa that was conservatively managed by wound care and hyperalimentation. as the underlying factor and cause of mortality from noma is the immune depression of malnutrition, the ro ...	2016	28053869
cancrum oris (noma): the role of nutrition in management.	cancrum oris (noma) is caused by the spirochete borrelia vincenti in association with anaerobic bacteria, commonly a member of the fusobacteria. the disease occurs in deprived and undernourished individuals with poor hygiene. we present a case of clinically diagnosed cancrum oris in a 2-year old child in sub-saharan africa that was conservatively managed by wound care and hyperalimentation. as the underlying factor and cause of mortality from noma is the immune depression of malnutrition, the ro ...	2016	28053869