Detected in Barcelona a new bacterium that is transmitted sexually

BarcelonaA disease detected simultaneously in Barcelona, Lyon, and Berlin could be emerging as a new sexually transmitted infection (STI). This is the conclusion reached by professionals at Vall d'Hebron Hospital after diagnosing a dozen cases of dermatophilosis in recent months, a rare skin infection in humans caused by bacteria associated with animals, especially livestock such as horses, goats, and cows. This time, however, professionals believe that transmission has been from person to person through sexual contact, far from the animals that generally cause contagion and the tropical areas where this disease is more frequent.

Professionals from the microbiology services and the Drassanes STI Unit of the Infectious Diseases Service at Vall d'Hebron have analyzed the cases in a study published by the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The research conclusions indicate that the bacteria behind these cases are part of a differentiated lineage, which opens the door to it being a species that has never been described before and, therefore, could have unknown behavior. In any case, the Infectious Diseases Service of the hospital conveys a message of calm and rules out any public health alarm, as very few cases have been identified, all of a mild nature.

"We haven't seen many cases, they are all mild, there are no antibiotic resistance problems, and transmission occurs in a very specific context. Surely there are more that we are not detecting and people who recover without treatment after a week," clarifies Vicente Descalzo, an associate of the service. All patients are men who have had sexual relations with other men with mild skin lesions, such as rashes, papules, or nodules, mainly located in the genital area, groin, thighs, or beard area. It is due to this distribution that professionals believe transmission is through sexual contact.

Humid environments

Another element that the cases share is that they have been in a sauna, a humid environment that could favor contagion. That is why Descalzo says that we will have to see how the disease evolves with the arrival of summer, in environments such as swimming pools or the sea. Another hypothesis is that contagion is environmental, by being in contact with a contaminated surface or water, although the researcher says it is less likely. Although he admits that the sample of cases is very small, one of the strengths of the research is that almost identical cases have been described in Lyon and Berlin, which reinforces the conclusions of the investigation.

The microbiological and genomic analysis of the samples indicates that the identified bacteria are very similar to each other, which reinforces the hypothesis of a recent common origin. Even so, Descalzo believes that it will not be possible to find out who the patient zero was. However, researchers believe it is an emerging skin infection, probably underdiagnosed. They admit, however, that additional studies are needed to accurately determine the scope and mechanisms of transmission and urge the medical community to increase clinical suspicion in the face of compatible skin lesions, as this would allow transmission chains to be cut earlier. They also advocate for increasing surveillance in sexually transmitted infections, microbiology, and public health units.