title: [Buruli ulcer: a dynamic transversal research model performed through the international network of Pasteur Institutes].
abstract: Buruli ulcer is an endemic severe human skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, which prevails in western Africa in swampy areas and primarily hits children. Its gravity comes from the extent of tissue destruction, created by the toxin mycolactone. We describe here how the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, with the help of the ministry of Health, gathered a network of multidisciplinary partners to fight against Buruli ulcer starting in the years 2000. The Centre Pasteur develops three missions : patient care, training of health care workers and research on the insect vector. Ten years of efforts resulted in significant medical advances such as the design of an early diagnostic test using PCR, or the observation that bed net use significantly decreased the risk of Buruli ulcer, offering useful prevention ; on the research side, entomological studies on aquatic bugs, coupled with epidemiological data, point to the role of these insects in the transmission of the disease. This study examplifies how an efficient network can contribute to the prevention and treatment of debilitating infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Service de mycobactériologie, centre Pasteur du Cameroun - Réseau international des Instituts Pasteur, BP 1274, Yaoundé, Cameroun - Centre de diagnostic et de traitement de l'ulcère de Buruli Raoul et Madeleine Follereau, BP 191, Pobè, République du Bénin.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marion
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landier
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eyangoh
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marsollier
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054312:Buruli Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008954:Models, Biological; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*