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Toxins (Basel) 2019 Apr 4;11(4). Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.

Mycolactone, the amphiphilic macrolide toxin secreted by , plays a significant role in the pathology and manifestations of Buruli ulcer (BU). Consequently, it follows that the toxin is a suitable target for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for this disease. Yet, several challenges have deterred such development. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 Apr 15;13(4):e0007317. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Arizona, United States of America.

Background: Buruli ulcer [BU] is a chronic and debilitating neglected tropical skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The treatment of moderate to severe BU affects the well-being of entire households and places a strain on both gender relations within households and social relations with kin asked for various types of support. In this paper, we employ the conceptual lenses provided by the Household Production of Health approach to understanding the impact of illness on the household as a unit of analysis, gender studies, and social support related research to better understand BU health care decision making and the psychosocial experience of BU hospitalization. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 Mar 25;11(3). Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Ulcers due to infections with are characterized by complete lack of wound healing processes, painless, an underlying bed of host dead cells and undermined edges due to necrosis. Mycolactone, a macrolide produced by the mycobacterium, is believed to be the toxin responsible. Of interest and relevance is the knowledge that Buruli ulcer (BU) patients remember experiencing trauma previously at the site of the ulcers, suggesting an impairment of wound healing processes, the plausible effect due to the toxin. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Mar 12;19(1):247. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Centre Inter-Facultaire de Recherche en Environnement pour le Développement Durable, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Bénin.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a chronic, necrotizing infectious skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of new cases detected. This study aimed to show the evolution of its distribution in the Lalo District in Bénin from 2006 to 2017. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 03 14;13(3):e0007273. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

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

Background: Buruli Ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Former BU patients may experience participation restrictions due to physical limitations, stigmatization and other social factors. A scale that measures participation restrictions among children, who represent almost half of the affected population, has not been developed yet. Read More

Int J Mycobacteriol 2019 Jan-Mar;8(1):48-52

Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Smithfield, QLD, Australia.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU), regionally known as the Daintree ulcer or Bairnsdale ulcer is caused by the environmental pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU). This disease is characterized by extensive and painless necrosis of skin and soft tissue with the formation of large ulcers and has been reported in >33 countries worldwide. This organism is geographically restricted and in Australia, the disease has been reported primarily in coastal Victoria and the Mossman-Daintree areas of northern Queensland. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 Mar 4;11(3). Epub 2019 Mar 4.

MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University Montpellier, 34394 Montpellier, France.

Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical infectious disease, produced by the environmentally persistent pathogen (MU). Neither the ecological niche nor the exact mode of transmission of MU are completely elucidated. However, some environmental factors, such as the concentration in chitin and pH values, were reported to promote MU growth in vitro. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 28;9(1):3028. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.

The opportunistic pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans, which is responsible for Buruli ulcer, synthesizes a series of plasmid-encoded macrolide exotoxins termed mycolactones. These toxins destabilize cell membranes and induce apoptosis-associated pleiotropic effects including tissue destruction, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Despite its medical interest, M. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 02 21;13(2):e0006745. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Smithfield, Australia, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), James Cook University, Smithfield, Australia.

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU). This nontuberculous mycobacterial infection has been reported in 34 countries worldwide. In Australia, the majority of cases of BU have been recorded in coastal Victoria and the Mossman-Daintree areas of north Queensland. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2019 Mar;25(3):600-601

Buruli ulcer is a necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans and is usually associated with tropical climates and exposure to slow-moving or stagnant water. We report a case of Buruli ulcer that may have originated in an urban semiarid area of Senegal. Read More

Bull Soc Pathol Exot 2018 ;111(2):99-103

Service de dermatologie-vénérologie, CHU de Lomé, faculté des sciences de la santé, université de Lomé, Togo.

The aim of this retrospective study carried out from January 2000 to December 2014 was to determine and map the epidemiological evolutionary trends and the clinical forms of leprosy cases notified in Togo. All the 2,630 new leprosy cases notified by all districts to the National Leprosy/Buruli Ulcer Control Program (PNLLUB-Togo) were included. The mean annual incidence was 175 cases with extremes of 73 to 266 cases. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 02 19;13(2):e0007178. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Background: Mycobacterium ulcerans causes necrotising infections of skin and soft tissue mediated by the polyketide exotoxin mycolactone that causes cell apoptosis and immune suppression. It has been postulated that infection can be eradicated before the development of clinical lesions but spontaneous resolution of clinical lesions has been rarely described.

Methodology/principal Findings: We report a case series of five Australian patients who achieved healing of small M. Read More

mSphere 2019 02 6;4(1). Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease of skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by infection with the pathogen Many critical issues for disease control, such as understanding the mode of transmission and identifying source reservoirs of , are still largely unknown. Here, we used genomics to reconstruct in detail the evolutionary trajectory and dynamics of populations at a central African scale and at smaller geographical village scales. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data were analyzed from 179 strains isolated from all Buruli ulcer foci in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Republic of Congo, and Angola that have ever yielded positive cultures. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 02 1;13(2):e0007155. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Access to an accurate diagnostic test for Buruli ulcer (BU) is a research priority according to the World Health Organization. Nucleic acid amplification of insertion sequence IS2404 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most sensitive and specific method to detect Mycobacterium ulcerans (M. ulcerans), the causative agent of BU. Read More

Nat Commun 2019 01 31;10(1):524. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory (GRMH-GDL), Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health (GIBH), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, 510530, China.

Buruli ulcer (BU) is an emerging infectious disease that causes disfiguring skin ulcers. The causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans, secretes toxin called mycolactone that triggers inflammation and immunopathology. Existing treatments are lengthy and consist of drugs developed for tuberculosis. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 01 28;13(1):e0007126. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Research & Development Agency of Aragon (ARAID) Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain.

The potential use of clinically approved beta-lactams for Buruli ulcer (BU) treatment was investigated with representative classes analyzed in vitro for activity against Mycobacterium ulcerans. Beta-lactams tested were effective alone and displayed a strong synergistic profile in combination with antibiotics currently used to treat BU, i.e. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Jan 10;19(1):41. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, The Hague, The Netherlands.

Background: Nigeria accounts for a significant proportion of the global drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) burden, a large proportion of which goes untreated. Different models for managing DR-TB treatment with varying levels of hospitalization are in use across Nigeria, however costing evidence is required to guide the scale up of DR-TB care. We aimed to estimate and compare the costs of different DR-TB treatment and care models in Nigeria. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 01 7;13(1):e0007074. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

Equipe EA 3593, Ecosystèmes amazoniens et pathologie tropicale, Université de la Guyane, Cayenne, Guyane française.

Background: Zoonotic pathogens respond to changes in host range and/or pathogen, vector and host ecology. Environmental changes (biodiversity, habitat changes, variability in climate), even at a local level, lead to variability in environmental pathogen dynamics and can facilitate their transmission from natural reservoirs to new susceptible hosts. Whilst the environmental dynamics of aquatic bacteria are directly linked to seasonal changes of their habitat they also rely on the ecological processes underpining their transmission. Read More

Nat Commun 2018 12 18;9(1):5370. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Experimental Medicine Building, Singapore, 636921, Singapore.

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical skin disease that is most commonly found in children from West and Central Africa. Despite the severity of the infection, therapeutic options are limited to antibiotics with severe side effects. Here, we show that M. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 Mar 26;63(3). Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Center for Tuberculosis Research, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Rifampin (RIF) plus clarithromycin (CLR) for 8 weeks is now the standard of care for Buruli ulcer (BU) treatment, but CLR may not be an ideal companion for rifamycins due to bidirectional drug-drug interactions. The oxazolidinone linezolid (LZD) was previously shown to be active against infection in mice but has dose- and duration-dependent toxicity in humans. Sutezolid (SZD) and tedizolid (TZD) may be safer than LZD. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 12;12:ED000128

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.

Int J Infect Dis 2019 Jan 25;78:99-102. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Infectious Diseases Service, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a chronic and destructive infection of the skin and soft tissues caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Recently, population flows have triggered the appearance of several sporadic cases of BU in non-endemic countries. This represents a significant diagnostic challenge for clinicians and microbiologists. Read More

Curr Trop Med Rep 2018 28;5(4):247-256. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

10Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Purpose Of The Review: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing and disabling cutaneous disease caused by , one of the skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs). This article aims to review the current knowledge of this disease and challenges ahead.

Recent Findings: Around 60,000 cases of BU have been reported from over 33 countries between 2002 and 2017. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 Feb 29;63(2). Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Center for Tuberculosis Research, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by , is a neglected tropical skin and soft tissue infection that is associated with disability and social stigma. The mainstay of BU treatment is an 8-week course of rifampin (RIF) at 10 mg/kg of body weight and 150 mg/kg streptomycin (STR). Recently, the injectable STR has been shown to be replaceable with oral clarithromycin (CLR) for smaller lesions for the last 4 weeks of treatment. Read More

Trop Med Infect Dis 2018 Nov 14;3(4). Epub 2018 Nov 14.

School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8102, Japan.

Integration of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) into the public health agenda has been a priority in global health for the last decade. Because a number of these diseases share not only the geographical distribution, but also a common feature which is skin involvement, bringing together a sub-group of 'skin NTDs' is one way forward to promote further integration among NTDs. With these diseases, which include leprosy, Buruli ulcer, yaws, mycetoma, lymphatic filariasis, and leishmaniasis, patients may be left with life-long deformities and disabilities when diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Read More

Clin Microbiol Rev 2018 01 14;32(1). Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Servicio de Dermatología y Departamento de Micología, Hospital General de México, Mexico City, Mexico.

Humans encounter mycobacterial species due to their ubiquity in different environmental niches. In many individuals, pathogenic mycobacterial species may breach our first-line barrier defenses of the innate immune system and modulate the activation of phagocytes to cause disease of the respiratory tract or the skin and soft tissues, sometimes resulting in disseminated infection. Cutaneous mycobacterial infections may cause a wide range of clinical manifestations, which are divided into four main disease categories: (i) cutaneous manifestations of infection, (ii) Buruli ulcer caused by and other related slowly growing mycobacteria, (iii) leprosy caused by and , and (iv) cutaneous infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria. Read More

Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2018 Nov 1:1-12. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

a Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine , University Hospital, Ludwigs-Maximilians-University , Munich , Germany.

Introduction: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected disease which has been reported from mostly impoverished, remote rural areas from 35 countries worldwide. BU affects skin, subcutaneous tissue, and bones, and may cause massive tissue destruction and life-long disabilities if not diagnosed and treated early. Without laboratory confirmation diagnostic and treatment errors may occur. Read More

J Biosoc Sci 2018 Oct 31:1-14. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

2Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS),Abidjan,Côte d'Ivoire.

Buruli ulcer (BU) belongs to the group of neglected tropical diseases and constitutes a public health problem in many rural communities in Côte d'Ivoire. The transmission patterns of this skin infection are poorly defined, hence the current study aimed to contribute to the understanding, perceptions and interpretations of its mode of transmission using a socio-environmental approach. Social and environmental risk factors that may expose people to infection, and the dynamics of local transfer of knowledge and practices related to BU, were assessed in two endemic locations in southern Côte d'Ivoire, i. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 11;24(11):1988-1997

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a destructive soft-tissue infection caused by the environmental pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans. In response to rising BU notifications in the state of Victoria, Australia, we reviewed all cases that occurred during 2011-2016 to precisely map the time and likely place of M. ulcerans acquisition. Read More

Infect Drug Resist 2018 1;11:1617-1625. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Institut d'Investigació Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain,

Objective: Nigeria ranks fourth among the high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries. This study describes the prevalence of drug resistance and the genetic diversity of in Abuja's Federal Capital Territory.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and seventy-eight consecutive sputum samples were collected from adults with presumptive TB during 2013-2014. Read More

MBio 2018 10 9;9(5). Epub 2018 Oct 9.

Global Health Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

New drugs are needed to control the current tuberculosis (TB) pandemic caused by infection with We report here on our work with AX-35, an arylvinylpiperazine amide, and four related analogs, which are potent antitubercular agents All five compounds showed good activity against and in infected THP-1 macrophages, while displaying only mild cytotoxicity. Isolation and characterization of -resistant mutants to the arylvinylpiperazine amide derivative AX-35 revealed mutations in the gene encoding a subunit of cytochrome oxidase, one of two terminal oxidases of the electron transport chain. Cross-resistance studies, allelic exchange, transcriptomic analyses, and bioenergetic flux assays provided conclusive evidence that the cytochrome is the target of AX-35, although the compound appears to interact differently with the quinol binding pocket compared to previous QcrB inhibitors. Read More

Epidemiol Infect 2018 Oct 8:1-8. Epub 2018 Oct 8.

Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases,Geelong,Australia.

Mycobacterium ulcerans is recognised as the third most common mycobacterial infection worldwide. It causes necrotising infections of skin and soft tissue and is classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, despite extensive research, the environmental reservoir of the organism and mode of transmission of the infection to humans remain unknown. Read More

Trop Med Infect Dis 2018 May 30;3(2). Epub 2018 May 30.

Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, James Cook University, Smithfield, QLD 4878, Australia.

is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, also known in Australia as Daintree ulcer or Bairnsdale ulcer. This destructive skin disease is characterized by extensive and painless necrosis of the skin and soft tissue with the formation of large ulcers, commonly on the leg or arm. To date, 33 countries with tropical, subtropical and temperate climates in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Western Pacific have reported cases of Buruli ulcer. Read More

ANZ J Surg 2018 Sep 21. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Plastic Surgery, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

With the demonstration of the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment, the management of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease has changed from a predominantly surgically to a predominantly medically treated disease. However, research among Australian patients has revealed that antibiotic treatment alone is associated with prolonged wound healing times, high rates of treatment toxicity, and the potential for significant tissue destruction associated with severe paradoxical reactions. We present the current state of M. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 09 17;12(9):e0006757. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.

Background: Buruli ulcer has been increasing in incidence in southeastern Australia with unclear transmission mechanisms. We aimed to investigate the link between rainfall and case numbers in two endemic areas of the state of Victoria; the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas.

Methodology: We created yearly and monthly graphs comparing rainfall with local Buruli ulcer incidence for the period 2004-2016 by endemic region and then considered a range of time lag intervals of 0-24 months to investigate patterns of correlation. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 09 12;12(9):e0006776. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

National BU Control Program, Ghana Health Service Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.

Background: Buruli Ulcer (BU) is one of the most neglected debilitating tropical diseases caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, which causes considerable morbidity and disability. Building on earlier findings that community-based interventions could enhance case detection and reduce treatment dropout and defaulter rates, we established an active surveillance-response system in an endemic sub-district in the Ga West municipality of Ghana to enhance early case detection, diagnosis and treatment to reduce or eliminate severe ulcers and its related disabilities.

Methods: We established surveillance response system, implemented in collaboration with the sub-district disease control officers, selected clinical staff and trained community-based volunteers. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Sep 6;11(1):501. Epub 2018 Sep 6.

Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Background: Biting aquatic insects belonging to the order Hemiptera have been suggested as potential vectors of Mycobacterium ulcerans in endemic areas for Buruli ulcer (BU). If this is the case, these insects would be expected to co-exist with M. ulcerans in the same geographical areas. Read More

J Leukoc Biol 2019 Feb 31;105(2):233-242. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.

Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU), is the third most important mycobacterial diseases after tuberculosis and leprosy in immunocompetent individuals. Although the mode of transmission remains an enigma, disease incidence has been strongly linked to disturbed environment and wetlands. The blunt of the diseases is recorded in West African countries along the Gulf of Guinea, and children 15 years and below account for about 48% of all cases globally. Read More

Lancet Infect Dis 2018 Sep;18(9):947

Rickmansworth WD3 1HH, UK. Electronic address:

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 08 23;8:CD012118. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

Department of Dermatology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 162-8655.

Background: Buruli ulcer is a necrotizing cutaneous infection caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans bacteria that occurs mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. The infection progresses from nodules under the skin to deep ulcers, often on the upper and lower limbs or on the face. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to lifelong disfigurement and disabilities. Read More

Mamm Genome 2018 08 16;29(7-8):523-538. Epub 2018 Aug 16.

Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Mycobacterial diseases are caused by members of the genus Mycobacterium, acid-fast bacteria characterized by the presence of mycolic acids within their cell walls. Claiming almost 2 million lives every year, tuberculosis (TB) is the most common mycobacterial disease and is caused by infection with M. tuberculosis and, in rare cases, by M. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 08 13;12(8):e0006728. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03474198, NCT01659437. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 08 13;12(8):e0006724. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

We examined recurrent Buruli ulcer cases following treatment and assumed cure in a large cohort of Australian patients living in an endemic area. We report that while the recurrence rate was low (2.81 cases/year/1000 population), it remained similar to the estimated risk of primary infection within the general population of the endemic area (0. Read More

PeerJ 2018 31;6:e5294. Epub 2018 Jul 31.

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Buruli ulcer is a disease of the skin and soft tissues caused by infection with a slow growing pathogen, . A vaccine for this disease is not available but possesses a giant plasmid pMUM001 that harbours the polyketide synthase (PKS) genes encoding a multi-enzyme complex needed for the production of its unique lipid toxin called mycolactone, which is central to the pathogenesis of Buruli ulcer. We have studied the immunogenicity of enzymatic domains in humans with disease, their contacts, as well as non-endemic areas controls. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 08 6;12(8):e0006713. Epub 2018 Aug 6.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a chronic necrotizing infectious skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The treatment with BU-specific antibiotics is initiated after clinical suspicion based on the WHO clinical and epidemiological criteria. This study aimed to estimate the predictive values of these criteria and how they could be improved. Read More

Med J Aust 2018 Aug;209(3):142

University Hospitals Bristol Education and Research Centre, Bristol, UK.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 07 30;12(7):e0006689. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

Department of International Development, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom.

Background: An understudied disease, little research thus far has explored responses to Buruli ulcer and quests for therapy from biosocial perspective, despite reports that people seek biomedical treatment too late.

Methods And Findings: Taking an inductive approach and drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in 2013-14, this article presents perspectives on this affliction of people living and working along the River Nile in northwest Uganda. Little is known biomedically about its presence, yet 'Buruli', as it is known locally, was and is a significant affliction in this region. Read More

Biol Cell 2018 Nov 14;110(11):237-248. Epub 2018 Aug 14.

Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.

Infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans results in a necrotising skin disease known as a Buruli ulcer, the pathology of which is directly linked to the bacterial production of the toxin mycolactone. Recent studies have identified the protein translocation machinery of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane as the primary cellular target of mycolactone, and shown that the toxin binds to the core subunit of the Sec61 complex. Mycolactone binding strongly inhibits the capacity of the Sec61 translocon to transport newly synthesised membrane and secretory proteins into and across the ER membrane. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2018 22;29:166. Epub 2018 Mar 22.

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University Of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.

Introduction: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a highly ranked neglected tropical disease (NTD) of global health importance with increasing incidence in sub-Saharan Africa yet there is paucity of information on the epidemiology of BU in Nigeria. Incidentally, highly BU endemic Benin Republic shares proximity with Nigeria. This study was carried out to establish presence of BU and ascertain the level of BU perception among rural populace in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria. Read More