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Int J Pharm 2022 Jun 24:121954. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal; 3B's Research Group, I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco, Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address:

Skin infection by Mycobacterium ulcerans causes Buruli ulcer (BU) disease, a serious condition that significantly impact patient' health and quality of life and can be very difficult to treat. Treatment of BU is based on daily systemic administration of antibiotics for at least 8 weeks and presents drawbacks associated with the mode and duration of drug administration and potential side effects. Thus, new therapeutic strategies are needed to improve the efficacy and modality of BU therapeutics, resulting in a more convenient and safer antibiotic regimen. Read More

Public Health Action 2022 Jun;12(2):85-89

National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Program, Federal Ministry of Health Public Health, Abuja, Nigeria.

Setting: This pilot project was conducted in hard-to-reach communities of two Niger Delta States in the South-South Region of Nigeria.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of portable digital X-ray, the Delft-Light Backpack (DLB) for TB active case-finding (ACF) in hard-to-reach Niger Delta communities using the WHO 3B TB screening/diagnosis algorithm.

Design: DLB X-ray was used to screen all consenting eligible participants during community TB screening out-reaches in all hard-to-reach communities of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Read More

Med Trop Sante Int 2021 12 10;1(4). Epub 2021 Dec 10.

SFMTSI. Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière - Pavillon Laveran, 47-83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris cedex 13.

Stud Health Technol Inform 2022 Jun;290:972-976

School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

This study investigated the usability of a mobile phone-based system, "eSkinHealth", for healthcare providers in Côte d'Ivoire. The eSkinHealth can be used both online and offline to address the poor Internet connectivity of these rural settings. Data recorded in the mobile application were synchronized with an online database, and specialists in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and in Japan advised local healthcare providers on difficult cases. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022 05 23;16(5):e0010322. Epub 2022 May 23.

University of Groningen, Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Background: The estimated five million snakebites per year are an important health problem that mainly affect rural poor populations. The global goal is to halve both mortality and morbidity from this neglected tropical disease by 2030. Data on snakebite morbidity are sparse and mainly obtained from hospital records. Read More

J Clin Tuberc Other Mycobact Dis 2022 Aug 17;28:100319. Epub 2022 May 17.

Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.

Background: with resistance to first line and second line anti tuberculous drugs is a serious setback in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a serious threat that could unwind the recent gains made thus far in the control of tuberculosis. This study aims to explore the pattern of drug resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) in our institution. Read More

Med J Aust 2022 Jun 12;216(10):532-538. Epub 2022 May 12.

Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.

•Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent a threat to the health, wellbeing and economic prosperity of billions of people worldwide, often causing serious disease or death. •Commonly considered diseases of low and middle-income nations, the presence of NTDs in high income countries such as Australia is often overlooked. •Seven of the 20 recognised NTDs are endemic in Australia: scabies, soil-transmitted helminths and strongyloidiasis, echinococcosis, Buruli ulcer, leprosy, trachoma, and snakebite envenoming. Read More

Med J Aust 2022 05 20;216(9):452-453. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

University Hospital Geelong, Geelong, VIC.

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022 Apr 11. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

Aix Marseille Univ., IRD, APHM, MEPHI, Marseille, France.

Whether Mycobacterium ulcerans, the etiological agent of Buruli ulcer in numerous tropical countries, would exist in a dormant state as reported for closely related Mycobacterium species, has not been established. Six M. ulcerans strains were exposed to a progressive depletion in oxygen for 2 months, using the Wayne model of dormancy previously described for M. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 24;13:750643. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.

is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU), the third most common mycobacterial infection. Virulent secretes mycolactone, a polyketide toxin. Most observations of infection are described as an extracellular milieu in the form of a necrotic ulcer. Read More

Curr Genomics 2021 Dec;22(7):512-525

Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura (U.P.), India.

Background: is the fundamental agent of the third most common Mycobacterial disease known as Buruli Ulcer (BU). It is an infection of the skin and soft tissue affecting the human population worldwide. Presently, the vaccine is not available against BU. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 03 29;12(3):e058605. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK.

Introduction: Yaws, caused by the bacterium subsp. is a neglected tropical disease targeted for eradication by 2030. Improved diagnostics will be essential to meet this goal. Read More

Afr Health Sci 2021 Dec;21(4):1518-1526

Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services.

Background: The implementation of COVID-19 lockdown measures across the globe could affect adolescents' health.

Objective: This review was conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the health of the adolescents.

Methodology: We conducted this study using the scope reviews methodological framework. Read More

Pathogens 2022 Jan 20;11(2). Epub 2022 Jan 20.

Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.

Intact, the skin typically serves as an effective barrier to the external world; however, once pathogens have breached this barrier via a wound, such as a tick bite, the surrounding tissues must recruit immune cells from the blood to neutralize the pathogen. With innate and adaptive immune systems being similar between the guinea pig and human systems, the ability of guinea pigs to show clinical signs of many infectious diseases, and the large size of guinea pigs relative to a murine model, the guinea pig is a valuable model for studying tick-borne and other pathogens that invade the skin. Here, we report a novel assay for assessing guinea pig leukocyte infiltration in the skin. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 26;12:788146. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Department of Microbial Sciences, School of Bioscience and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.

Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by , is a devastating necrotizing skin disease. Key to its pathogenesis is mycolactone, the exotoxin virulence factor that is both immunosuppressive and cytotoxic. The discovery that the essential Sec61 translocon is the major cellular target of mycolactone explains much of the disease pathology, including the immune blockade. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2022 01 31;18(1):e1010280. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Department of Microbial Sciences, School of Bioscience and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by subcutaneous infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans and its exotoxin mycolactone. BU displays coagulative necrosis and widespread fibrin deposition in affected skin tissues. Despite this, the role of the vasculature in BU pathogenesis remains almost completely unexplored. Read More

Lancet 2022 02 28;399(10327):786-797. Epub 2022 Jan 28.

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine and School of Medicine and Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Curr Opin Infect Dis 2022 04;35(2):79-87

University Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.

Purpose Of Review: The aim of this article is to review the most recent evidences concerning mycobacterial skin infections, limiting the period of literature research to 2020--2021.

Recent Findings: Mycobacterial skin infections include a heterogeneous group of cutaneous diseases.Cutaneous tuberculosis is usually the result of hematogenous dissemination or spread from underlying foci and it must be distinguished from tuberculids, resulting from the immunological reaction to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. Read More

Acta Trop 2022 Apr 20;228:106323. Epub 2022 Jan 20.

Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, P/Bag X54001, Durban, South Africa. Electronic address:

Buruli Ulcer is a neglected tropical disease that is caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. It is not fatal; however, it manifests a range of devastating symptoms on the hosts' bodies. Various drugs and treatments are available for the disease; however, they are often costly and have adverse effects. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022 04 18;66(4):e0190221. Epub 2022 Jan 18.

Division of Bioresources, Hokkaido Universitygrid.39158.36 International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo, Japan.

Buruli ulcer disease is a neglected necrotizing and disabling cutaneous tropical illness caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Fluoroquinolone (FQ), used in the treatment of this disease, has been known to act by inhibiting the enzymatic activities of DNA gyrase. However, the detailed molecular basis of these characteristics and the FQ resistance mechanisms in M. Read More

Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2022 Feb 26;31(2):139-144. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that affected more than 50 million people and killed 6.7 million patients in the past 5 years alone. Additionally, rising incidence of treatment resistance threatens the global effort to eradicate this disease. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 12 28;15(12):e0010053. Epub 2021 Dec 28.

Univ Angers, Inserm, INCIT, Angers, France.

Background: Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, an environmental mycobacterium. Although transmission of M. ulcerans remains poorly understood, the main identified risk factor for acquiring Buruli ulcer is living in proximity of potentially contaminated water sources. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2021 12;27(12):3191-3192

Researchers have hypothesized that mosquitoes are vectors involved in Mycobacterium ulcerans transmission. Previous findings of a correlation between incidence of M. ulcerans, which causes Buruli ulcer, and locally acquired vectorborne diseases in southeastern Australia further strengthened this argument. Read More

Glob Health Res Policy 2021 11 8;6(1):43. Epub 2021 Nov 8.

Department of Paediatrics, AE-FUTHA, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Background: A major constraint to tuberculosis control is low case finding with under-reporting to national authorities. Evidence shows that Patent Medicine Dealers are first port of call for most people with symptoms of tuberculosis, yet there is poor referral of such clients to tuberculosis treatment facilities for further evaluation. This study investigated constraints to involvement of Patent Medicine Dealers in tuberculosis control. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022 01 18;66(1):e0087021. Epub 2021 Oct 18.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institutegrid.416786.a, Basel, Switzerland.

For the treatment of chronic wounds, acid-oxidizing solutions (AOSs) with broad-spectrum microbicidal activity without disturbing granulation tissue formation have been developed. We found AOSs to efficiently kill Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, which is able to survive harsh decontamination treatments. Topical AOS treatment of Buruli ulcer lesions may support the recommended antibiotic therapy (oral rifampin and clarithromycin), prevent contamination of the environment by the mycobacteria, and control secondary infections, which are a prevalent wound management problem in resource-poor settings where Buruli ulcer is endemic. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 10 13;15(10):e0009862. Epub 2021 Oct 13.

Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.

Background: Chronic wounds pose a significant healthcare burden in low- and middle-income countries. Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection, causes wounds with high morbidity and financial burden. Although highly endemic in West and Central Africa, the presence of BU in Sierra Leone is not well described. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2022 ;2387:219-230

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Experimental Medicine Building, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

The oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) pathway has emerged as an attractive pathway for the development of anti-mycobacterial drugs. The OxPhos pathway is essential for ATP resynthesis and maintenance of the electrochemical transmembrane gradient. The bioenergetic parameters of the pathway such as oxygen consumption rate and ATP levels are quantifiable using current technology. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2022 ;2387:209-217

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Experimental Medicine Building, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

Generation and characterization of drug resistant mutants is a powerful tool in antimicrobial drug discovery for identification of the molecular target of an investigational drug candidate. The method is relatively simple to be conducted in a classical microbiology laboratory. Its value has been augmented by the employment of next generation sequencing techniques to characterize single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with drug resistance. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2022 ;2387:195-207

Center for TB Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Great progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of Buruli ulcer over the last 20 years. The rediscovery of the mouse footpad model of the disease with translation to clinical practice has changed treatment of this infectious disease, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, from surgery and skin grafting to the administration of antibiotics for 8 weeks or less with superior cure rates. Here we describe the development and enhancement of the mouse model during the last two decades. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2022 ;2387:189-194

Center for TB Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

As acknowledged by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), there is an insufficient evidence base on which to recommend a standard method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing against M. ulcerans. The agar proportion method has been recognized as the standard method for susceptibility testing against Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates for decades (Woods GL, Engenack NL, Lin G, Turnidge JD (2018) CLSI standards: guidelines for health care excellence. Read More