A New Clade of African Body and Head Lice Infected by Bartonella quintana and Yersinia pestis-Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A New Clade of African Body and Head Lice Infected by Bartonella quintana and Yersinia pestis-Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Sep 21;
Authors: Drali R, Shako JC, Davoust B, Diatta G, Raoult D
Abstract
The human body louse is a known vector for the transmission of three serious diseases-specifically, epidemic 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.
PMID: 26392158 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - September 21, 2015 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Drali R, Shako JC, Davoust B, Diatta G, Raoult D Tags: Am J Trop Med Hyg Source Type: research