ArticlePloS one2017
Detection of bacterial pathogens including potential new species in human head lice from Mali.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bartonella quintana detection among arthropods and their hosts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Parasites & vectors · 2024Pooled it
- DNA Barcoding of Head Lice from a ~1500-Year-Old Salt-Preserved Mummy from the Chehrabad Salt Mine, Iran.Insects · 2026Article
- Genetic diversity and occurrence of permethrin resistance-associated mutations in a population of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) from Seville, Spain.Journal of insect science (Online) · 2026Article
- Q Fever in Africa: A Systematic Review of Prevalence, Zoonotic Potential and Disease Burden.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Molecular screening for Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Coxiella in head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) collected from primary school girls in Fars Province, Iran (2024).BMC research notes · 2026Article
- Ectoparasite survey of schoolchildren in the Republic of Guinea.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- High prevalence of knockdown resistance mutations, genetic clade diversity, and detection ofCurrent research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases · 2025Article
- Aetiologies of bacterial tick-borne febrile illnesses in humans in Africa: diagnostic limitations and the need for improvement.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Review
- Phylogenetic and network analysis of Pediculus humanus in Nigeria reveal the presences of clade E body lice and novel haplotypes.Parasitology research · 2023Article
- Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans and Animals in West Africa.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Head lice as vectors of pathogenic microorganisms.Tropical medicine and health · 2023Review
- Head Lice Infestation in Pre-High School Girls, Lak Hok Suburban Area, Pathum Thani Province, in Central Thailand.Journal of parasitology research · 2023Article
- 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
- High Genetic Diversity andFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Article
- Molecular Characterization and Genetic Diversity of Haplogroup E Human Lice in Guinea, West Africa.Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Article
- Molecular Detection of Microorganisms Associated with Small Mammals and Their Ectoparasites in Mali.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2020Article
- Pediculosis capitis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire: Epidemiological profile and associated risk factors.Parasite epidemiology and control · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In poor African countries, where no medical and biological facilities are available, the identification of potential emerging pathogens of concern at an early stage is challenging. Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, have a short life, feed only on human blood and do not transmit pathogens to their progeny. They are, therefore, a perfect tool for the xenodiagnosis of current or recent human infection. This study assessed the occurrence of bacterial pathogens from head lice collected in two rural villages from Mali, where a high frequency of head lice infestation had previously been reported, using molecular methods. Results show that all 600 head lice, collected from 117 individuals, belonged to clade E, specific to West Africa. Bartonella quintana, the causative agent of trench fever, was identified in three of the 600 (0.5%) head lice studied. Our study also shows, for the first time, the presence of the DNA of two pathogenic bacteria, namely Coxiella burnetii (5.1%) and Rickettsia aeschlimannii (0.6%), detected in human head lice, as well as the DNA of potential new species from the Anaplasma and Ehrlichia genera of unknown pathogenicity. The finding of several Malian head lice infected with B. quintana, C. burnetii, R. aeschlimannii, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia is alarming and highlights the need for active survey programs to define the public health consequences of the detection of these emerging bacterial pathogens in human head lice.
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