Marsollier L, Aubry J, Saint-André J-P, Robert R, Legras P, Manceau A-L, Bourdon S, Audrain C, Carbonnelle B
Laboratoire de bactériologie-virologie-hygiène, CHU, 49033 Angers cedex 01, France.
Pathol Biol (Paris). 2003 Oct;51(8-9):490-5. doi: 10.1016/s0369-8114(03)00151-2.
Mycobacterium ulcerans is an environmental pathogen concerning mainly the tropical countries; it is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, which has become the third most important mycobacterial disease. In spite of water-linked epidemiological studies to identify the sources of M. ulcerans, the reservoir and the mode of transmission of this organism remain elusive. To determine the ecology and the mode of transmission of M. ulcerans we have set up an experimental model. This experimental model demonstrated that water bugs were able to transmit M. ulcerans by bites. In insects, the bacilli were localized exclusively within salivary glands, where it could both multiply contrary to other mycobacteria species. In another experimental study, we report that the crude extracts from aquatic plants stimulate in vitro the growth of M. ulcerans as much as the biofilm formation by M. ulcerans has been observed on aquatic plants. Given that the water bugs are essentially carnivorous, it is difficult to imagine a direct contact in the contamination of aquatic bugs and plants. It seems very likely that an intermediate host exists. In an endemic area of Daloa in Côte d'Ivoire, our observations were confirmed.
溃疡分枝杆菌是一种主要影响热带国家的环境病原体；它是布氏溃疡的病原体，布氏溃疡已成为第三大重要的分枝杆菌病。尽管有与水相关的流行病学研究来确定溃疡分枝杆菌的来源，但这种生物体的储存宿主和传播方式仍然不明。为了确定溃疡分枝杆菌的生态学和传播方式，我们建立了一个实验模型。该实验模型表明，水蝽能够通过叮咬传播溃疡分枝杆菌。在昆虫体内，杆菌仅局限于唾液腺内，在那里它能够繁殖，这与其他分枝杆菌物种不同。在另一项实验研究中，我们报告水生植物的粗提物在体外能刺激溃疡分枝杆菌的生长，并且在水生植物上已观察到溃疡分枝杆菌形成生物膜。鉴于水蝽基本上是肉食性的，很难想象水生蝽和植物在污染过程中有直接接触。很可能存在中间宿主。在科特迪瓦的达洛亚的一个地方病区，我们的观察结果得到了证实。
