Sakamoto, TetsuLima, Sabrina Karolaine Araújo Sousa de2025-05-272025-05-272025-03-11LIMA, Sabrina Karolaine Araújo Sousa de. Estudo sobre a dinâmica evolutiva entre amostras provenientes de infecções em humanos e em primatas não humanos de Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue. Orientador: Dr. Tetsu Sakamoto. 2025. 42f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Bioinformática) - Instituto Metrópole Digital, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2025.https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/63695Treponema pallidum, a bacterium from the phylum Spirochaetota, is responsible for the treponematoses, a group of diseases caused by different subspecies of this bacterium, each associated with specific infections. This study focuses on Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue (TPE), which causes yaws in humans, a disease mainly transmitted through direct contact with skin lesions, primarily affecting children and pre-adolescents. If left untreated, it can progress to severe deformities in bones and cartilage. During the 20th century, significant progress was made in the eradication and control of this subspecies; however, in recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of reported cases. Until recently, it was believed that this subspecies affected only humans, but recent studies have identified that non-human primates (NHPs) have also been naturally infected by TPE. Given the growing impact of this disease on both humans and other species, TPE has become a focus of surveillance and scientific investigation. This study aims to clarify the relationship between infection in humans and in other primate species, contributing to a better understanding of transmission dynamics and possible strategies for control and prevention. To this end, we used the genome sequences of 58 TPE samples (24 from humans and 19 from NHPs) available in public repositories and applied phylogenetic and recombinant region detection analyses. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that TPE samples cluster into nine genetically distinct lineages, with a complete separation between human and non-human primate isolates, indicating significant interspecies transmission barriers. The detection of only one potential recombination event between a human and an NHP sample suggests that horizontal gene flow is rare in this subspecies. Molecular dating pointed to a relatively recent origin (1885). Ancestral host reconstruction indicated a high probability (77%) that TPE originated in humans before spreading to primates. The demographic pattern revealed by the Skyline Plot shows a stable population followed by an abrupt decline. These findings reinforce the predominant role of humans in the epidemiology of yaws while highlighting the need for continued surveillance to monitor potential cross-species transmission events.pt-BRAcesso AbertoRecombinação gênicaBoubaFilogenia molecularGenomamasterThesisCIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS