title: Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans subsp. shinshuense DNA from a water channel in familial Buruli ulcer cases in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if Mycobacterium ulcerans subsp. shinshuense is present in the common living environment in a case of familial concurrent occurrence of Buruli ulcer in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Environmental samples were collected primarily from a water channel in the patient's residence. A combination of whole-genome amplification, touchdown PCR and DNA sequencing was used to detect M. ulcerans subsp. shinshuense DNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  M. ulcerans subsp. shinshuense DNA was detected in a crayfish sampled in July, but not in other samples including a crayfish sampled in October.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings support an association between contaminated aquatic environments and Buruli ulcer in Japan. The data also suggest dynamic seasonal appearance of the pathogen in the environment may contribute to the seasonal variation of Buruli ulcer occurrence in Japan.
authors: Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-2-1 Aoba-cho, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo 189-0002, Japan.
authors: Yuqian
authors: Y
authors: Luo
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Degang
authors: Mikio
authors: M
authors: Ohtsuka
authors: Yuko
authors: Y
authors: Ishido
authors: Norihisa
authors: N
authors: Ishii
authors: Koichi
authors: K
authors: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000382:microbiology*; D054312:Buruli Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012621:Seasons; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Buruli ulcer; Mycobacterium ulcerans subsp. shinshuense; aquatic environment; crayfish; familial concurrent occurrence of BU in Japan; vector