ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2018
RETRACTED: Body lice of homeless people reveal the presence of several emerging bacterial pathogens in northern Algeria.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2018. 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 It has been retracted, and should not be counted.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 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- An Update on the Novel Genera and Species and Revised Taxonomic Status of Bacterial Organisms Described in 2016 and 2017.Journal of clinical microbiology · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review ofOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026Review
- Q Fever in Africa: A Systematic Review of Prevalence, Zoonotic Potential and Disease Burden.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Retraction: Body lice of homeless people reveal the presence of several emerging bacterial pathogens in northern Algeria.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Validation of a High-Throughput Microfluidic Real-Time PCR for the Detection of Vector-Borne Agents in Wild Birds from the Brazilian Pantanal.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Secondary Bacterial Infections in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis or Other Common Dermatoses.American journal of clinical dermatology · 2024Review
- Aetiologies of bacterial tick-borne febrile illnesses in humans in Africa: diagnostic limitations and the need for improvement.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Review
- Head lice as vectors of pathogenic microorganisms.Tropical medicine and health · 2023Review
- Expression of Concern: Body lice of homeless people reveal the presence of several emerging bacterial pathogens in northern Algeria.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Human pediculosis, a global public health problem.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2022Review
- High Genetic Diversity andFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Article
- Assessment of the prevalence of pediculosis capitis and related effective features among primary schoolchildren in Ahvaz County, Southwest of Iran.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021Article
- The molecular targets of ivermectin and lotilaner in the human louse Pediculus humanus humanus: New prospects for the treatment of pediculosis.PLoS pathogens · 2021Article
- Molecular Characterization and Genetic Diversity of Haplogroup E Human Lice in Guinea, West Africa.Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Epidemiological serosurvey of vector-borne and zoonotic pathogens among homeless people living in shelters in Marseille: cross-sectional one-day surveys (2005-2015).European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2020Article
- Molecular identification of head lice collected in Franceville (Gabon) and their associated bacteria.Parasites & vectors · 2020Article
- Molecular investigation and genetic diversity of Pediculus and Pthirus lice in France.Parasites & vectors · 2020Article
- Article
- Human Bartonellosis: An Underappreciated Public Health Problem?Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2019Review
- The Presence ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
- Retraction · 2026-05-05Concerns/Issues about Human Subject Welfare · Investigation by Company/Institution · Investigation by Journal/Publisher · Lack of IRB/IACUC Approval and/or Compliance · Objections by Author(s) · Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions · Upgrade/Update of Prior Notice(s) ·
- Expression of concern · 2022-12-13Investigation by Journal/Publisher · Updated to Retraction ·
- Expression of concern
- Retracted
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHuman lice, Pediculus humanus, are obligate blood-sucking parasites. Body lice, Pediculus h. humanus, occur in two divergent mitochondrial clades (A and D) each exhibiting a particular geographic distribution. Currently, the body louse is recognized as the only vector for louse-borne diseases. In this study, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of body lice collected from homeless populations in three localities of northern Algeria, and to investigate louse-borne pathogens in these lice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsIn this study, 524 body lice specimens were collected from 44 homeless people in three localities: Algiers, Tizi Ouzou and Boumerdès located in northern Algeria. Duplex clade specific real-time PCRs (qPCR) and Cytochrome b (cytb) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis were performed in order to identify the mitochondrial clade. Screening of louse-borne pathogens bacteria was based on targeting specific genes for each pathogen using qPCR supplemented by sequencing. All body lice belong to clade A. Through amplification and sequencing of the cytb gene we confirmed the presence of three haplotypes: A5, A9 and A63, which is novel. The molecular investigation of the 524 body lice samples revealed the presence of four human pathogens: Bartonella quintana (13.35%), Coxiella burnetii (10.52%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (0.76%) and Acinetobacter species (A. baumannii, A. johnsonii, A. berezeniae, A. nosocomialis and A. variabilis, in total 46.94%). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to show the genetic diversity and presence of several emerging pathogenic bacteria in homeless' body lice from Algeria. We also report for the first time, the presence of several species of Acinetobacter in human body lice. Our results highlight the fact that body lice may be suspected as being a much broader vector of several pathogenic agents than previously thought. Nevertheless, other studies are needed to encourage epidemiological investigations and surveys of louse-associated infections.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.