A15 Rapid radiation of treponema pallidum pertenue in wild non-human primates

Research reveals that Treponema pallidum pertenue, the bacterium responsible for yaws in humans, has rapidly diversified and established infections in wild non-human primates, including sooty mangabeys and green monkeys. Phylogenomic analysis of full genomes from symptomatic individuals shows these strains are closely related to T. p. pertenue but not reciprocally monophyletic with human strains, indicating a complex zoonotic reservoir. The study used hybridization capture to sequence bacterial DNA from samples collected in Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire), Bijilo Forest Park (Gambia), and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal). This finding suggests the existence of a vast zoonotic reservoir that may hinder global eradication efforts.

Düx, A., Schuenemann, V. J., Gogarten, J. F., De Nys, H. M., Nieselt, K., Mayhew, M. A., Leendertz, F. H., Calvignac-Spencer, S., & Krause, J. (2017). A15 Rapid radiation of treponema pallidum pertenue in wild non-human primates. Virus Evolution, 3(suppl_1). https://doi.org/10.1093/ve/vew036.014