Mycobacterium ulcerans DNA in Bandicoot Excreta in Buruli Ulcer-Endemic Area, Northern Queensland, Australia.

Katharina Röltgen,Paul D.R Johnson,Gerd Pluschke,Janet Fyfe

doi:10.3201/eid2312.170780

Abstract

Highlights

To identify potential reservoirs/vectors of Mycobacterium ulcerans in northern Queensland, Australia, we analyzed environmental samples collected from the Daintree River catchment area, to which Buruli ulcer is endemic, and adjacent coastal lowlands by species-specific PCR
Much of the pathology of this debilitating disease is caused by mycolactone, a macrolide toxin [2] unique for members of the species M. ulcerans, which are referred to as mycolactone-producing mycobacteria [3]
The definite route of infection with M. ulcerans remains obscure, in Victoria, Australia, small arboreal marsupials have been implicated as reservoirs of the pathogen, and mosquitoes have been implicated as vectors of the pathogen [4,5]

Summary

Introduction

To identify potential reservoirs/vectors of Mycobacterium ulcerans in northern Queensland, Australia, we analyzed environmental samples collected from the Daintree River catchment area, to which Buruli ulcer is endemic, and adjacent coastal lowlands by species-specific PCR. The major region in Far North Queensland to which BU is endemic is a rim of valleys and lowlands surrounding the Dagmar Range and extending from Daintree and Forest Creek in the northern region to Mossman in the southern region [6] In this area, a BU outbreak with 64 reported cases occurred in 2011 after the exceptionally long and wet Author affiliations: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland The aim of this study was to identify potential reservoirs and vectors of M. ulcerans in the BU-endemic area of Far North Queensland by analyzing environmental samples for the presence of species-specific DNA sequences

Objectives

Conclusion