Publications by Charlotte Avanzi

Development and validation of a multiplex real-time qPCR assay using GMP-grade reagents for leprosy diagnosis

Stewart Cole, Charlotte Avanzi, Thyago Leal Calvo

Author summaryLeprosy is a chronic dermato-neurological disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an obligate intracellular bacterium. Diagnosis of leprosy often relies on skin examinations for clinical signs, bacilli staining from skin smears and invasive s ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2022

Gene expression patterns associated with multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Thyago Leal Calvo

Multidrug therapy (MDT) has been successfully used in the treatment of leprosy. However, although patients are cured after the completion of MDT, leprosy reactions, permanent disability, and occasional relapse/reinfection are frequently observed in patient ...

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA2022

A new paradigm for leprosy diagnosis based on host gene expression

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Thyago Leal Calvo

Author summary ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2021

Leprosy in wild chimpanzees

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Charlotte Avanzi

Humans are considered as the main host for Mycobacterium leprae(1), the aetiological agent of leprosy, but spillover has occurred to other mammals that are now maintenance hosts, such as nine-banded armadillos and red squirrels(2,3). Although naturally acq ...

NATURE PORTFOLIO2021

Mycobacterium leprae diversity and population dynamics in medieval Europe from novel ancient genomes

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Charlotte Avanzi

Background Hansen's disease (leprosy), widespread in medieval Europe, is today mainly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions with around 200,000 new cases reported annually. Despite its long history and appearance in historical records, its origins ...

BMC2021

Emergence of Mycobacterium leprae Rifampin Resistance Evaluated by Whole-Genome Sequencing after 48 Years of Irregular Treatment

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi

A case of Mycobacterium leprae rifampin resistance after irregular antile- prosy treatments since 1971 is reported. Whole-genome sequencing from four longi- tudinal samples indicated relapse due to acquired rifampin resistance and not to re- infection with ...

AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY2020

Genomic Characterization of Mycobacterium lepraeto Explore Transmission Patterns Identifies New Subtype in Bangladesh

Stewart Cole, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi

Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, is an unculturable bacterium with a considerably reduced genome (3.27 Mb) compared to homologues mycobacteria from the same ancestry. In 2001, the genome ofM. lepraewas first described and subsequently ...

Frontiers Media SA2020

Population Genomics of Mycobacterium leprae Reveals a New Genotype in Madagascar and the Comoros

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Pushpendra Singh, Stefanie Boy-Röttger, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Thyago Leal Calvo

Human settlement of Madagascar traces back to the beginning of the first millennium with the arrival of Austronesians from Southeast Asia, followed by migrations from Africa and the Middle East. Remains of these different cultural, genetic, and linguistic ...

Frontiers Media SA2020

British Red Squirrels Remain the Only Known Wild Rodent Host for Leprosy Bacilli

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Charlotte Avanzi

Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in the British Isles are the most recently discovered animal reservoir for the leprosy bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Initial data suggest that prevalence of leprosy infection is vari ...

2019

Leprosy in red squirrels in the UK

Stewart Cole, Charlotte Avanzi

BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP2019

Ancient genomes reveal a high diversity of Mycobacterium leprae in medieval Europe

Stewart Cole, Pushpendra Singh, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi

2018

Evidence of zoonotic leprosy in Para A, Brazilian Amazon, and risks associated with human contact or consumption of armadillos

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Weifeng Li, Charlotte Avanzi

2018

Phylogenomics and antimicrobial resistance of the leprosy bacillus Mycobacterium leprae

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Pushpendra Singh, Chloé Marie Loiseau, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Andréanne Lupien

Nature Research2018

Evaluation of Auramine O staining and conventional PCR for leprosy diagnosis: A comparative cross-sectional study from Ethiopia

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Charlotte Avanzi

Background ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2018

Highly Reduced Genome of the New Species Mycobacterium uberis, the Causative Agent of Nodular Thelitis and Tuberculoid Scrotitis in Livestock and a Close Relative of the Leprosy Bacilli

Stewart Cole, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi

Nodular thelitis is a chronic enzootic infection affecting dairy cows and goats. The causative agent was recently shown to be related to the leprosy-causing bacilli Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. In this study, the genome of this path ...

AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY2018

Ancient Mycobacterium leprae genomes reveal an unexpected diversity of leprosy in medieval Europe

Stewart Cole, Pushpendra Singh, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi

WILEY2018

Genomics: a Swiss army knife to fight leprosy

Charlotte Avanzi

Leprosy, a highly disabling and stigmatizing infectious disease, is caused by Mycobacterium leprae and the newly discovered agent, Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Though treatable with antibiotics, leprosy has still not been eradicated, and around 200,000 new ...

EPFL2018

Insights from the Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium lepraemurium: Massive Gene Decay and Reductive Evolution

Stewart Cole, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi

Mycobacterium lepraemurium is the causative agent of murine leprosy, a chronic, granulomatous disease similar to human leprosy. Due to the similar clinical manifestations of human and murine leprosy and the difficulty of growing both bacilli axenically, My ...

Amer Soc Microbiology2017

Whole genome sequencing distinguishes between relapse and reinfection in recurrent leprosy cases

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Pushpendra Singh, Chloé Marie Loiseau, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Jérémie Piton

Background Since leprosy is both treated and controlled by multidrug therapy (MDT) it is important to monitor recurrent cases for drug resistance and to distinguish between relapse and reinfection as a means of assessing therapeutic efficacy. All three obj ...

Public Library Science2017

Red squirrels in the British Isles are infected with leprosy bacilli

Stewart Cole, Philippe Busso, Chloé Marie Loiseau, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Jérémie Piton

Leprosy, caused by infection with Mycobacterium leprae or the recently discovered Mycobacterium lepromatosis, was once endemic in humans in the British Isles. Red squirrels in Great Britain (Sciurus vulgaris) have increasingly been observed with leprosy-li ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science2016