{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T07:20:44Z","timestamp":1785223244708,"version":"3.55.0"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013091","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]],"date-time":"2025-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748908800000}}],"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]],"date-time":"2025-05-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746662400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001713","name":"European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RIA2018D-2495"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RIA2018D-2495"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001713","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Children in parts of Africa, the South Pacific, and Southeast Asia frequently develop cutaneous ulcers caused by two bacteria: <jats:italic>Haemophilus ducreyi<\/jats:italic> (HD) and <jats:italic>Treponema pallidum<\/jats:italic> subspecies <jats:italic>pertenue<\/jats:italic> (causative agent of yaws). The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to eradicate yaws using mass administration of azithromycin. This also leads to a temporary decrease in ulcers caused by HD followed by a rebound suggesting an ongoing reservoir of infection. The aim of this study was to investigate whether HD could spread through the environment or animals.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Alongside detection of human cases of cutaneous ulcers from villages in Cameroon, we additionally collected samples from animals (dogs, cats, flies), fomites (bedsheets, clothing, benches, doors), and water sources (marigots and lakes). DNA was extracted and tested for HD and <jats:italic>T. pallidum<\/jats:italic> using two specific qPCR assays.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>HD was not detected in any of the environmental samples but it was on both clothing (13.3%) and in flies (27%). Flies also tested positive for <jats:italic>T. pallidum,<\/jats:italic> but at a lower rate (2.6%).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>These results suggest that flies and some fomites may contribute to the transmission of HD. Future research should focus on determining whether either of these are capable of carrying live bacteria that can cause onward transmission.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013091","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]],"date-time":"2025-05-08T17:50:05Z","timestamp":1746726605000},"page":"e0013091","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Detection of Haemophilus ducreyi from environmental and animal samples in Cameroon"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Philippe","family":"Ndzomo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Serges","family":"Tchatchouang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Onana","family":"Boyomo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tania","family":"Crucitti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Marks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0557-3815","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sara","family":"Eyangoh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"pntd.0013091.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(14)70019-1","article-title":"Haemophilus ducreyi as a cause of skin ulcers in children from a yaws-endemic area of Papua New Guinea: a prospective cohort study","volume":"2","author":"O Mitj\u00e0","year":"2014","journal-title":"Lancet Glob Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pntd.0013091.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2201.150425","article-title":"Epidemiology of Haemophilus ducreyi Infections","volume":"22","author":"C Gonz\u00e1lez-Beiras","year":"2016","journal-title":"Emerg Infect Dis"},{"issue":"5","key":"pntd.0013091.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0004958","article-title":"Haemophilus ducreyi DNA is detectable on the skin of asymptomatic children, flies and fomites in villages of Papua New Guinea","volume":"11","author":"W Houinei","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"12","key":"pntd.0013091.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2085","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/cix723","article-title":"Single-dose azithromycin for the treatment of Haemophilus ducreyi skin ulcers in Papua New Guinea","volume":"65","author":"C Gonz\u00e1lez-Beiras","year":"2017","journal-title":"Clin Infect Dis"},{"issue":"8","key":"pntd.0013091.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"703","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1408586","article-title":"Mass treatment with single-dose azithromycin for yaws","volume":"372","author":"O Mitj\u00e0","year":"2015","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"pntd.0013091.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0003496","article-title":"A cross-sectional study of \u2018Yaws\u2019 in districts of ghana which have previously undertaken azithromycin mass drug administration for trachoma control","volume":"9","author":"R Ghinai","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"12","key":"pntd.0013091.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011553","article-title":"Prevalence and risk factors associated with Haemophilus ducreyi cutaneous ulcers in Cameroon","volume":"17","author":"P Ndzomo","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"pntd.0013091.ref008","first-page":"1891","article-title":"A loop-mediated isothermal amplification test for yaws: a multi-country diagnostic accuracy evaluation","author":"BL Handley","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pntd.0013091.ref009","first-page":"300","article-title":"Insect vectors involving in mechanical transmission of human pathogens for serious diseases","volume":"1","author":"M Sarwar","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Bioinforma Biomed Eng"},{"issue":"1","key":"pntd.0013091.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1049","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-018-5934-3","article-title":"A systematic review of human pathogens carried by the housefly (Musca domestica L.)","volume":"18","author":"F Khamesipour","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"5","key":"pntd.0013091.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012194","article-title":"Transmission of viable Haemophilus ducreyi by Musca domestica","volume":"18","author":"HD Stabile","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"pntd.0013091.ref012","article-title":"Flies as possible vectors of inflammatory trachoma transmission in a Brazilian municipality","volume":"63","author":"RLFS Meneghim","year":"2021","journal-title":"Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo"},{"issue":"11","key":"pntd.0013091.ref013","first-page":"854","article-title":"Persistence and significance of Chlamydia trachomatis in the Housefly, Musca domestica L","volume":"21","author":"N Brewer","year":"2021","journal-title":"Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0013091.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"300","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci9060300","article-title":"Flies as vectors and potential sentinels for bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance: a review","volume":"9","author":"JH Yin","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vet Sci"},{"key":"pntd.0013091.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ebiom.2016.07.033","article-title":"Isolation of treponema DNA from Necrophagous flies in a natural ecosystem","volume":"11","author":"S Knauf","year":"2016","journal-title":"EBioMedicine"},{"key":"pntd.0013091.ref016","first-page":"1","article-title":"The infection risks associated with clothing and household linens in home and everyday life settings, and the role of laundry","author":"SF Bloomfield","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int Sci Forum Home Hyg"},{"issue":"4","key":"pntd.0013091.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"198","DOI":"10.1007\/s40726-019-00123-6","article-title":"Microbial exchange via fomites and implications for human health","volume":"5","author":"B Stephens","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr Pollut Rep"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0013091.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"687","DOI":"10.1586\/14787210.2014.892414","article-title":"Epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Haemophilus ducreyi - a disappearing pathogen?","volume":"12","author":"DA Lewis","year":"2014","journal-title":"Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther"},{"issue":"11","key":"pntd.0013091.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1141","DOI":"10.1016\/S1286-4579(02)01639-8","article-title":"Haemophilus ducreyi: clinical features, epidemiology, and prospects for disease control","volume":"4","author":"CTH Bong","year":"2002","journal-title":"Microbes Infect"},{"issue":"12","key":"pntd.0013091.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"744","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro.2016.141","article-title":"Treponema pallidum, the syphilis spirochete: making a living as a stealth pathogen","volume":"14","author":"JD Radolf","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"}],"updated-by":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013091","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]],"date-time":"2025-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748908800000}}],"container-title":["PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013091","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]],"date-time":"2025-06-03T20:16:03Z","timestamp":1748981763000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013091"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Hiba","family":"Sami","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013091","relation":{},"ISSN":["1935-2735"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1935-2735","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]]}}}