ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2016
Head Lice of Pygmies Reveal the Presence of Relapsing Fever Borreliae in the Republic of Congo.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It has been retracted, and should not be counted. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bartonella quintana detection among arthropods and their hosts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Parasites & vectors · 2024Pooled it
- Louse-borne relapsing fever-A systematic review and analysis of the literature: Part 1-Epidemiology and diagnostic aspects.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Collateral benefits of ivermectin mass drug administration designed for malaria against headlice in Mopeia, Mozambique: a cluster randomised controlled trial.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2025Trial
- Relapsing fever revisited: New insights into neglected borrelial infections.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Review
- Borrelia theileri infection in beef and dairy cattle in Israel: molecular detection and co-infection with bovine piroplasmids.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Phylogenetic Characterization of Pediculus humanus capitis Among Primary Schoolchildren in Algeria.Acta parasitologica · 2026Article
- Insights into the microbiota profile of Pediculus humanus capitis using metagenomic next-generation sequencing and molecular detection of unexpected pathogen DNA in Hunan Province, China.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Epidemiological and molecular insights into human lice (Anoplura: Pediculidae) in France: genetic diversity and DNA barcoding.Parasite (Paris, France) · 2026Article
- Ectoparasite survey of schoolchildren in the Republic of Guinea.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Borrelial Diseases Across Eurasia.Biology · 2025Review
- Impact factors and genetic characteristics of head lice infestation in schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study from 2018 to 2023 in central China.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Correction: Head Lice of Pygmies Reveal the Presence of Relapsing Fever Borreliae in the Republic of Congo.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Borrelia theileri infections in Rhipicephalus annulatus ticks from the north of Iran.Experimental & applied acarology · 2024Article
- Head lice as vectors of pathogenic microorganisms.Tropical medicine and health · 2023Review
- Comparative Analysis of Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Spirochaetes from Ethiopia and Nigeria.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Head Lice Infestation in Pre-High School Girls, Lak Hok Suburban Area, Pathum Thani Province, in Central Thailand.Journal of parasitology research · 2023Article
- Expression of Concern: Head Lice of Pygmies Reveal the Presence of Relapsing Fever Borreliae in the Republic of Congo.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Human pediculosis, a global public health problem.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2022Review
- Putative native South Amerindian origin of head lice clade F: evidence from head lice nits infesting human shrunken heads.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Phylogenetic relationship between the endosymbiont "Candidatus Riesia pediculicola" and its human louse host.Parasites & vectors · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Expression of concern · 2022-12-13Investigation by Journal/Publisher ·
- Erratum issued
- Expression of concern
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHead lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, occur in four divergent mitochondrial clades (A, B, C and D), each having particular geographical distributions. Recent studies suggest that head lice, as is the case of body lice, can act as a vector for louse-borne diseases. Therefore, understanding the genetic diversity of lice worldwide is of critical importance to our understanding of the risk of louse-borne diseases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsHere, we report the results of the first molecular screening of pygmies' head lice in the Republic of Congo for seven pathogens and an analysis of lice mitochondrial clades. We developed two duplex clade-specific real-time PCRs and identified three major mitochondrial clades: A, C, and D indicating high diversity among the head lice studied. We identified the presence of a dangerous human pathogen, Borrelia recurrentis, the causative agent of relapsing fever, in ten clade A head lice, which was not reported in the Republic of Congo, and B. theileri in one head louse. The results also show widespread infection among head lice with several species of Acinetobacter. A. junii was the most prevalent, followed by A. ursingii, A. baumannii, A. johnsonii, A. schindleri, A. lwoffii, A. nosocomialis and A. towneri. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study is the first to show the presence of B. recurrentis in African pygmies' head lice in the Republic of Congo. This study is also the first to report the presence of DNAs of B. theileri and several species of Acinetobacter in human head lice. Further studies are needed to determine whether the head lice can transmit these pathogenic bacteria from person to another.
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