distribution of mycobacterium ulcerans in buruli ulcer endemic and non-endemic aquatic sites in ghana溃疡分枝杆菌的分布在布鲁里溃疡流行和非水生网站在加纳.pdfVIP

Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Buruli Ulcer Endemic and Non-Endemic Aquatic Sites in Ghana 1 2 1 1 Heather R. Williamson *, Mark E. Benbow , Khoa D. Nguyen , Dia C. Beachboard , Ryan K. 2 2 3 4 3 Kimbirauskas , Mollie D. McIntosh , Charles Quaye , Edwin O. Ampadu , Daniel Boakye , Richard W. Merritt2, Pamela L. C. Small 1 1 Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America, 2 Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America, 3 Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, Legon, Accra, Ghana, 4 National Buruli ulcer Control Programme, Disease Control Unit - GHS, Accra, Ghana Abstract Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, is an emerging environmental bacterium in Australia and West Africa. The primary risk factor associated with Buruli ulcer is proximity to slow moving water. Environmental constraints for disease are shown by the absence of infection in arid regions of infected countries. A particularly mysterious aspect of Buruli ulcer is the fact that endemic and non-endemic villages may be only a few kilometers apart within the same watershed. Recent studies suggest that aquatic invertebrate species may serve as reservoirs for M. ulcerans, although transmission pathways remain unknown. Systematic studies of the distribution of M. ulcerans in the environment using standard ecological methods have not been reported. Here we present results from the first study based on random sampling of endemic and non-endemic sites. In this study PCR-based methods, along with