Application of real-time PCR in Ghana, a Buruli ulcer-endemic country, confirms the presence of Mycobacterium ulcerans in the environment

Koen Vandelannoote; Lies Durnez; Diana Amissah; Sophie Gryseels; Alfred Dodoo; Shirley Yeboah; Phyllis Addo; Miriam Eddyani; Herwig Leirs; Anthony Ablordey; Françoise Portaels

doi:10.1111/j.1574-6968.2010.01902.x

Application of real-time PCR in Ghana, a Buruli ulcer-endemic country, confirms the presence of Mycobacterium ulcerans in the environment

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2010 Mar;304(2):191-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2010.01902.x. Epub 2010 Jan 18.

Authors

Koen Vandelannoote¹, Lies Durnez, Diana Amissah, Sophie Gryseels, Alfred Dodoo, Shirley Yeboah, Phyllis Addo, Miriam Eddyani, Herwig Leirs, Anthony Ablordey, Françoise Portaels

Affiliation

¹ Mycobacteriology Unit, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. kvandelannoote@itg.be

PMID: 20146745
DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2010.01902.x

Abstract

This study reports the first successful application of real-time PCR for the detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU), in Ghana, a BU-endemic country. Environmental samples and organs of small mammals were analyzed. The real-time PCR assays confirmed the presence of M. ulcerans in a water sample collected in a BU-endemic village in the Ashanti Region.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animal Structures / microbiology
Animals
Buruli Ulcer / veterinary*
Ghana
Mammals
Mycobacterium ulcerans / genetics
Mycobacterium ulcerans / isolation & purification*
Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
Water Microbiology*