First Isolation of Mycobacterium ulcerans from an Aquatic Environment: The End of a 60-Year Search?

Tim Stinear,Paul D R Johnson,Mathieu Picardeau

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000216

Tim Stinear, Paul D R Johnson + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000216

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Abstract

First Isolation of Mycobacterium ulcerans from an Aquatic Environment: The End of a 60-Year Search?

Highlights

Buruli ulcer is a terrible, disfiguring disease of skin and soft tissue that may leave sufferers permanently disabled (Figure 1)
The combination of the potent antimycobacterial drugs rifampicin and streptomycin has been shown to be able to kill the causative agent, M. ulcerans, in early nodular Buruli ulcer [4], and a new WHO protocol has been implemented in several endemic countries [5]
The highly focal epidemiology and association with swamps and slow-flowing water are hallmarks of Buruli ulcer (Figure 1), and these observations have led to 50 years of failed attempts by many research groups to try to cultivate M. ulcerans from a variety of environmental sources that has included bats, sand flies, rodents, fish, molluscs, vegetation, water, and soil [7,8,9,10,11]

Summary

Introduction

Buruli ulcer is a terrible, disfiguring disease of skin and soft tissue that may leave sufferers permanently disabled (Figure 1). In some highly endemic regions, Buruli ulcer is more common than the two most notorious mycobacterial diseases, leprosy and tuberculosis (TB) [3]. The combination of the potent antimycobacterial drugs rifampicin and streptomycin has been shown to be able to kill the causative agent, M. ulcerans, in early nodular Buruli ulcer [4], and a new WHO protocol has been implemented in several endemic countries [5].

Results

Conclusion