Open AccessMolecular Typing of Treponema pallidum in South Africa: Cross-Sectional Studies
Author(s) -
Allan Pillay,
H. Liu,
Sumayyah Ebrahim,
C. Y. Chen,
Wayne C. Lai,
Glenda Fehler,
Ronald C. Ballard,
Bret M. Steiner,
A. W. Sturm,
Stephen Morse
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of clinical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.349
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1070-633X
pISSN - 0095-1137
DOI - 10.1128/jcm.40.1.256-258.2002
Subject(s) - treponema , subtyping , typing , syphilis , biology , population , virology , molecular epidemiology , genetics , genotype , medicine , gene , environmental health , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , computer science , programming language
We evaluated a molecular subtyping system for Treponema pallidum for its ability to differentiate between strains obtained from male patients with primary syphilis in South Africa. Of 201 T. pallidum-positive specimens, 161 were typeable, revealing 35 subtypes. The unique subtypes identified in Durban, Cape Town, and Carletonville and the total number of subtypes suggested that the strain population was very diverse and varied geographically.