Genomic Epidemiology of Treponema pallidum and Circulation of Strains With Diminished tprK Antigen Variation Capability in Seattle, 2021–2022

Abstract

Background The incidence of syphilis continues to increase in the United States, yet little is known about Treponema pallidum genomic epidemiology within American metropolitan areas. Methods We performed whole-genome sequencing and tprK deep sequencing of 28 T. pallidum–containing specimens, collected mostly from remnant Aptima swab specimens from 24 individuals from Seattle Sexual Health Clinic during 2021–2022. Results All 12 individuals infected with Nichols-lineage strains were men who have sex with men, while a specific SS14 cluster (mean, 0.33 single-nucleotide variant) included 1 man who has sex with women and 5 women. All T. pallidum strains sequenced were azithromycin resistant via 23S ribosomal RNA A2058G mutation. Identical T. pallidum genomic sequences were found in pharyngeal and rectal swab specimens taken concurrently from the same individuals. The tprK sequences were less variable between patient-matched specimens and between epidemiologically linked clusters. We detected a 528–base pair deletion in the tprK donor site locus, eliminating 9 donor sites, in T. pallidum genomes of 3 individuals with secondary syphilis, associated with diminution of TprK diversity. Conclusions We developed an end-to-end workflow for public health genomic surveillance of T. pallidum from remnant Aptima swab specimens. tprK sequencing may assist in linking cases beyond routine T. pallidum genome sequencing. T. pallidum strains with deletions in tprK donor sites currently circulate and are associated with diminished TprK antigenic diversity.