Abstract

M. ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer; BU) have been reported in French Guiana since the 1960s [1]. It is striking to see that French Guiana concentrates most of the cases of BU in America with only a few cases reported in Suriname, Peru, Mexico and Bolivia in the past [2, 3]. Either BU is underdiagnosed and underreported in most of the continent; or the specific environmental conditions in French Guiana represent a unique niche for the disease to appear; or a sublineage of M. ulcerans has established in French Guiana that has a higher virulence than other members of the ancestral lineage found in the Americas.

Highlights

  • M. ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer; BU) have been reported in French Guiana since the 1960s [1]

  • Either BU is underdiagnosed and underreported in most of the continent; or the specific environmental conditions in French Guiana represent a unique niche for the disease to appear; or a sublineage of M. ulcerans has established in French Guiana that has a higher virulence than other members of the ancestral lineage found in the Americas

  • This study revealed for the first time genetic variability between clinical isolates of M. ulcerans in French Guiana, a diversity that appears to be more pronounced than in Africa, where closely related local clonal complexes are observed

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Summary

Introduction

M. ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer; BU) have been reported in French Guiana since the 1960s [1]. It is striking to see that French Guiana concentrates most of the cases of BU in America with only a few cases reported in Suriname, Peru, Mexico and Bolivia in the past [2, 3]. French Guiana is a tropical country located in South America on the Atlantic coast between Suriname and northern Brazil. It is mostly covered by Amazonian rainforest with the exception of the coastal strip, which is mainly composed of marshy savannah and mangroves. Blaizot Service de dermatologie, Cayenne Hospital, Cayenne Cedex, French Guiana. Centre d’Investigation Clinique, CIC Inserm 1424, Cayenne Hospital, Cayenne Cedex, French Guiana. We review current knowledge of BU in French Guiana with specific emphasis on links of M. ulcerans to the human host and the natural environment

Risk Factors of BU in French Guiana
Epidemiology and Clinical Aspects of BU in French Guiana
A Link Between Rainfall and BU Cases
First Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans DNA in Environmental Samples from French Guiana
Findings
Conclusion

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