Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39379557›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2024

High increase of Nichols-like clade circulating Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum in Barcelona from 2021 to 2023.

Patricia Nadal-Barón, Jesus Trejo-Zahinos, Maider Arando, Alicia Barberan-Masegosa, Marta Bernat-Sole, Arantxa Pérez-Ugarte, Ana Maria Villatoro, Pilar Alcubilla, Elena Sulleiro, Juan José Gonzalez-López and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Putative mechanisms of ocular inflammation in syphilis.Journal of ophthalmic inflammation and infection · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. In vitro isolation of contemporary Treponema pallidum strains directly from clinical samples of syphilis patients.Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Patricia Nadal-BarónDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain. patricia.nadal@vallhebron.cat.
Jesus Trejo-ZahinosDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Maider ArandoSTI Unit Vall d'Hebron Drassanes, Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.
Alicia Barberan-MasegosaDepartment of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Marta Bernat-SoleDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Arantxa Pérez-UgarteDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Ana Maria VillatoroDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Pilar AlcubillaDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Elena SulleiroDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Juan José Gonzalez-LópezDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Andrés AntónDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Mireia AlbernyMedical Management of Primary Care Services, Catalan Health Institute (ICS), Barcelona, Spain.
Oriol MitjàSkin Neglected Tropical Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections Section, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Spain.
Maria Nieves LarrosaDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
Yannick Hoyos-MallecotDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Clinical Laboratories, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Worldwide, more than 90% of contemporary syphilis strains belong to SS14-like clade. This study aimed to describe the molecular profile of circulating Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA) strains in Barcelona, Spain, from 2021 to 2023 building upon our report in 2015 which showed that 94.8% of typed strains belonged to the SS14 clade. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was conducted on TPA-positive samples obtained from swab samples by sequencing the tp0136, tp0548, and tp0705 loci. Strains were classified as Nichols-like or SS14-like clade. Macrolide and tetracycline resistance‑associated mutations were determined through analysis of 23S rDNA and 16S rRNA gene sequences. Of the 96 typeable samples, 47.9% belonged to SS14-like and 52.1% to the Nichols-like. Fourteen haplotypes were identified, with ST26 representing 43.8% of the samples, distributed across 11 haplotypes in the SS14-like and 3 haplotypes in the Nichols-like. All the samples showed macrolide resistance-associated mutations, while none exhibited tetracycline-associated mutations. Our findings revealed a substantial shift in the proportion of TPA clades within the Barcelona population from 2021 to 2023, characterized by a higher proportion of Nichols-like strains compared to 2015 and international trends. The varying temporal and geographical trends underscore the need for regular surveillance to understand regional variations in syphilis and strengthen control programs.

Indexed as

SyphilisTreponema pallidumAdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsDNA, BacterialDrug Resistance, BacterialFemaleHaplotypesHumansMacrolidesMaleMiddle AgedMultilocus Sequence TypingMutationPhylogenyRNA, Ribosomal, 16SAnti-Bacterial AgentsDNA, BacterialMacrolidesRNA, Ribosomal, 16SMolecular epidemiologyMultilocus sequence typingPhylogenySyphilisTreponema pallidum

Identifiers

PMID39379557
PMCPMC11461962

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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.