title: Buruli ulcer disease: prospects for a vaccine.
abstract: Buruli ulcer disease (BUD), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a neglected bacterial infection of the poor in remote rural areas, mostly affecting children. BUD is a mutilating disease leading to severe disability; it is the third most common mycobacterial infection in immunocompetent people after tuberculosis and leprosy. It is most endemic in West Africa, but cases have been reported from more than 30 countries. Treatment with antibiotics is possible, long-lasting and requires injections; there are cases of treatment failures, and the disease is prone to resistance. A vaccine against M. ulcerans would protect persons at risk in highly endemic areas, and could be used as a therapeutic vaccine to shorten the duration of treatment and prevent relapses. There is considerable evidence supporting the notion that generation of a vaccine is feasible. This article reviews the present state of the art with special emphasis on the immunology of the infection and the prospects for development of a vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue Engelandstraat 642, 1180 Brussels, Belgium. kris.huygen@iph.fgov.be
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huygen
authors.forename: Ohene
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Adjei
authors.forename: Dissou
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Affolabi
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bretzel
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demangel
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.forename: Roch Christian
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pedrosa
authors.forename: Delphin M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Phanzu
authors.forename: Richard O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pluschke
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Siegmund
authors.forename: Mahavir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Tjip S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: van der Werf
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wansbrough-Jones
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaels
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western / Q000453:epidemiology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D054312:Buruli Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines