A novel pattern of treponemal antibody distribution in isolated South American Indian populations.
Serologic surveys for treponemal disease were carried out in 1970-1976 among three linguistically distinct and isolated population groups in the Brazilian Amazon Region and among the Mapuche Indians of southern Chile. Three patterns were found: 1) no evidence for treponemal infection in two very recently contacted groups; 2) sporadic positive individuals in groups with long periods of contact with non-Indian populations; and 3) a high prevalence of positive tests in one cultural group with limited exposure to non-Indians. The seroepidemiology and clinical manifestations of a possible treponemal infection in those villages with a high prevalence of positive tests were unlike those of the classically described human treponematoses.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013143:Spirochaetaceae / Q000276:immunology; D014208:Treponema / Q000276:immunology*; D014211:Treponemal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial