title: Molecular subtyping of Treponema pallidum from North and South Carolina.
abstract: Patients from five clinics in North and South Carolina who had lesions suggestive of primary or secondary syphilis were evaluated using molecular techniques that allow the differentiation of Treponema pallidum strains on the basis of two variable genes, tpr and arp. Lesion samples were screened for the presence of T. pallidum DNA using PCR for polA, which represents a segment of the polymerase I gene that is unique to the spirochete. Twenty-seven of 154 lesion samples were found to contain T. pallidum, 23 of which had typeable DNA. Seven molecular subtypes were found (10f, 12f, 13f, 14f, 14g, 15f, and 16f); one to four subtypes were identified at each clinic. Subtype 14f was found in 52% of the typeable specimens and was distributed in four of the five clinics. Subtype 16f was found in 22% of specimens and was concentrated at one clinic. Further data are needed to define the role of this technique in examining the epidemiology of syphilis.
authors.affiliation: Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. vpope@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Kimberley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Hsi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Marfin
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Arlene C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Seña
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapin
authors.forename: Martha B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Fears
authors.forename: Lauri
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Markowitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015684:Gene Products, pol / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015684:Gene Products, pol