Mycobacterium ulcerans Transmission in West Africa - The Search for Reservoirs and Vectors

Buruli ulcer is a severe, slowly progressing skin infection caused by the environmental bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans. The mode of transmission is still unknown. The infection is characterised by large, painless ulcers with undermined edges due to a lipid toxin called mycolactone, produced by the bacteria. Complicating transmission studies is the fact that mycolactone—the major virulence factor—has been found in other environmental mycobacterial species (MPMs) that cause disease in some animals. Although there are no reports of human disease caused by these novel species, they share similar ecological niches in endemic aquatic environments.

Dr Lydia Mosi and her team, working within the One Health framework, propose that the overlapping environmental habitats of the pathogen, animals, and humans directly influence its transmission. In this seminar, Lydia will shed light on efforts made to uncover M. ulcerans transmission in West Africa, focusing on both environmental and laboratory model-based investigations spanning the past 20 years.