Treponema pallidumsubsp.pertenueDisplays Pathogenic Properties Different from Those ofT. pallidumsubsp.pallidum

Abstract

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 dissemination of cutaneous yaws lesions in very young guinea pigs were remarkably different from the low frequency observed in a similar age group of syphilis infection, 100 versus 17%, respectively. Moreover, as opposed to T. pallidum subsp. pallidum, T. pallidum subsp. pertenue does not cross the placenta. Offspring born to yaws-infected mothers did not produce immunoglobulin M antibodies and their organs, examined by PCR and rabbit infectivity test (RIT), were all negative. Examination of a large number of tissues and organs in adult, neonate, and maternal yaws by PCR and RIT clearly demonstrated that, unlike syphilis, there was a low incidence and short persistence of the yaws pathogen in internal organs. These findings stress the dermotropic rather than the organotropic character of yaws and provide further evidence of distinctive biological and pathological differences between yaws and venereal syphilis.

The distribution of skeletal lesions in treponemal disease: is the lymphatic system responsible?

“…Microbial proliferation within the node is characteristic of primary treponemal disease while, in the secondary stage, further multiplication of the organism causes tissue damage and lesions develop within the node (Kampmeier, 1954;Mims, 1993). This has been described in animal studies where tissue damage caused by the spirochetes of syphilis and yaws have been documented to varying degrees (Pearce & Brown, 1925;Schell et al, 1979;Wicher et al, 1996Wicher et al, , 2000. Specifically, a recent study of syphilis using guinea pigs noted that the pathogen will lodge within certain organs (including lymph nodes) very early in the infection, leaving the bloodstream free and representing a continual threat to reactivation throughout life (Wicher et al, 1996).…”

“…Probably the most fundamental difference, which sets venereal syphilis apart, is its capacity to attack the central nervous and cardiovascular systems (Resnick & Niwayama, 1995). This difference has recently been supported by experimental animal studies (Wicher et al, 2000) and may explain why yaws is not a fatal disease. However, it does not explain how bone tissue becomes involved.…”

The Endemic Treponematoses

“…This strain was shown to fail to cross the placenta in a guinea pig model of congenital syphilis, and these results were stated to confirm the lack of placental invasion by T. pallidum subsp. pertenue strains (46). Once molecular signatures for the subspecies had been identified, however, it was shown that the Haiti B strain is really a T. pallidum subsp.…”

Yaws: Rebound of a forgotten disease

“…In endemic regions with oscillating wet and dry seasons, the clinical manifestations and prevalence of infectious lesions are higher during the rainy season. Compared to syphilis, yaws does not cross the placenta and therefore is not transmitted in utero, nor does it penetrate the central nervous system [2,20].…”