title: Buruli ulcer and schistosomiasis: no association found.
abstract: Helminth infections elicit an immune response potentially enhancing susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases. Schistosomiasis and infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans show a remarkable similarity in epidemiologic characteristics in Ghana. In 2000, a case-control study was conducted in three districts in Ghana endemic for M. ulcerans. One hundred six patients with confirmed M. ulcerans disease and 106 matched community controls were included. Schistosome infection of these patients and controls was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detected circulating anodic antigen in serum. Fifty percent of the participants tested positive for schistosomiasis. There was no difference in detection rates among patients and matched controls. Similarly, there were no differences in worm burden between patients and controls. These results do not support the hypothesis that susceptibility to M. ulcerans disease is driven by a co-infection with schistosomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Groningen University Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands. y.stienstra@int.azg.nl
authors.forename: Ymkje
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Stienstra
authors.forename: Tjip S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: van der Werf
authors.forename: Winette T A
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: van der Graaf
authors.forename: W Evan
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Secor
authors.forename: Stacey L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kihlstrom
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dobos
authors.forename: Kwame
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asamoa
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quarshi
authors.forename: Samual N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Etuaful
authors.forename: Erasmus Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Klutse
authors.forename: C Harold
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000276:immunology*; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D006023:Glycoproteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; C090907:circulating anodic antigen, Schistosoma mansoni