Aquatic snails, passive hosts of Mycobacterium ulcerans.
Accumulative indirect evidence of the epidemiology of Mycobacterium ulcerans infections causing chronic skin ulcers (i.e., Buruli ulcer disease) suggests that the development of this pathogen and its transmission to humans are related predominantly to aquatic environments. We report that snails could transitorily harbor M. ulcerans without offering favorable conditions for its growth and replication. A novel intermediate link in the transmission chain of M. ulcerans becomes likely with predator aquatic insects in addition to phytophage insects. Water bugs, such as Naucoris cimicoides, a potential vector of M. ulcerans, were shown to be infected specifically by this bacterium after feeding on snails experimentally exposed to M. ulcerans.
Unité de Génétique bactérienne, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, France. marsol@pasteur.fr.
Laurent
L
Marsollier
Tchibozo
T
Sévérin
Jacques
J
Aubry
Richard W
RW
Merritt
Jean-Paul
JP
Saint André
Pierre
P
Legras
Anne-Lise
AL
Manceau
Annick
A
Chauty
Bernard
B
Carbonnelle
Stewart T
ST
Cole
D000818:Animals; D004199:Disease Vectors; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000635:transmission; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology; D012908:Snails / Q000382:microbiology*