Marsollier Laurent, Stinear Timothy, Aubry Jacques, Saint André Jean Paul, Robert Raymond, Legras Pierre, Manceau Anne-Lise, Audrain Christine, Bourdon Sandra, Kouakou Henri, Carbonnelle Bernard
Unité de Génétique Moléculaire Bactérienne, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004 Feb;70(2):1097-103. doi: 10.1128/AEM.70.2.1097-1103.2004.
Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, one of the most common mycobacterial diseases of humans. Recent studies have implicated aquatic insects in the transmission of this pathogen, but the contributions of other elements of the environment remain largely unknown. We report here that crude extracts from two green algae added to the BACTEC 7H12B culture medium halved the doubling time of M. ulcerans and promoted biofilm formation. Using the 7H12B medium, modified by the addition of the algal extract, and immunomagnetic separation, we also demonstrate that M. ulcerans is associated with aquatic plants in an area of the Ivory Coast where Buruli ulcer is endemic. Genotype analysis showed that plant-associated M. ulcerans had the same profile as isolates recovered in the same region from both aquatic insects and clinical specimens. These observations implicate aquatic plants as a reservoir of M. ulcerans and add a new potential link in the chain of transmission of M. ulcerans to humans.
溃疡分枝杆菌是布氏溃疡的病原体，布氏溃疡是人类最常见的分枝杆菌病之一。最近的研究表明水生昆虫参与了这种病原体的传播，但环境中其他因素的作用仍 largely unknown。我们在此报告，添加到BACTEC 7H12B培养基中的两种绿藻的粗提物使溃疡分枝杆菌的倍增时间减半，并促进了生物膜的形成。使用添加了藻类提取物的改良7H12B培养基和免疫磁珠分离法，我们还证明在布氏溃疡流行的科特迪瓦的一个地区，溃疡分枝杆菌与水生植物有关。基因型分析表明，与植物相关的溃疡分枝杆菌与在同一地区从水生昆虫和临床标本中分离出的菌株具有相同的图谱。这些观察结果表明水生植物是溃疡分枝杆菌的储存宿主，并为溃疡分枝杆菌传播给人类的链条增加了一个新的潜在环节。
