title: First cultivation and characterization of Mycobacterium ulcerans from the environment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, or Buruli ulcer (BU), is an indolent, necrotizing infection of skin, subcutaneous tissue and, occasionally, bones. It is the third most common human mycobacteriosis worldwide, after tuberculosis and leprosy. There is evidence that M. ulcerans is an environmental pathogen transmitted to humans from aquatic niches; however, well-characterized pure cultures of M. ulcerans from the environment have never been reported. Here we present details of the isolation and characterization of an M. ulcerans strain (00-1441) obtained from an aquatic Hemiptera (common name Water Strider, Gerris sp.) from Benin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One culture from a homogenate of a Gerris sp. in BACTEC became positive for IS2404, an insertion sequence with more than 200 copies in M. ulcerans. A pure culture of M. ulcerans 00-1441 was obtained on Löwenstein-Jensen medium after inoculation of BACTEC culture in mouse footpads followed by two other mouse footpad passages. The phenotypic characteristics of 00-1441 were identical to those of African M. ulcerans, including production of mycolactone A/B. The nucleotide sequence of the 5' end of 16S rRNA gene of 00-1441 was 100% identical to M. ulcerans and M. marinum, and the sequence of the 3' end was identical to that of the African type except for a single nucleotide substitution at position 1317. This mutation in M. ulcerans was recently discovered in BU patients living in the same geographic area. Various genotyping methods confirmed that strain 00-1441 has a profile identical to that of the predominant African type. Strain 00-1441 produced severe progressive infection and disease in mouse footpads with involvement of bone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strain 00-1441 represents the first genetically and phenotypically identified strain of M. ulcerans isolated in pure culture from the environment. This isolation supports the concept that the agent of BU is a human pathogen with an environmental niche.
authors: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium. portaels@itg.be
authors: Françoise
authors: F
authors: Portaels
authors: Wayne M
authors: WM
authors: Meyers
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Ablordey
authors: António G
authors: AG
authors: Castro
authors: Karim
authors: K
authors: Chemlal
authors: Pim
authors: P
authors: de Rijk
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Elsen
authors: Krista
authors: K
authors: Fissette
authors: Alexandra G
authors: AG
authors: Fraga
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Lee
authors: Engy
authors: E
authors: Mahrous
authors: Pamela L C
authors: PL
authors: Small
authors: Pieter
authors: P
authors: Stragier
authors: Egídio
authors: E
authors: Torrado
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Van Aerde
authors: Manuel T
authors: MT
authors: Silva
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: Pedrosa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000382:microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000382:microbiology; D018942:Macrolides; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D018942:Macrolides; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C117218:mycolactone