Tobias Nicholas J, Ammisah Nana Ama, Ahortor Evans K, Wallace John R, Ablordey Anthony, Stinear Timothy P
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity , Melbourne , Australia.
Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana , Legon , Ghana.
PeerJ. 2016 Jun 1;4:e2065. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2065. eCollection 2016.
Identifying the source reservoirs of Mycobacterium ulcerans is key to understanding the mode of transmission of this pathogen and controlling the spread of Buruli ulcer (BU). In Australia, the native possum can harbor M. ulcerans in its gastrointestinal tract and shed high concentrations of the bacteria in its feces. To date, an analogous animal reservoir in Africa has not been identified. Here we tested the hypothesis that common domestic animals in BU endemic villages of Ghana are reservoir species analogous to the Australian possum. Using linear-transects at 10-meter intervals, we performed systematic fecal surveys across four BU endemic villages and one non-endemic village in the Asante Akim North District of Ghana. One hundred and eighty fecal specimens from a single survey event were collected and analyzed by qPCR for the M. ulcerans diagnostic DNA targets IS2404 and KR-B. Positive and negative controls performed as expected but all 180 test samples were negative. This structured snapshot survey suggests that common domestic animals living in and around humans do not shed M. ulcerans in their feces. We conclude that, unlike the Australian native possum, domestic animals in rural Ghana are unlikely to be major reservoirs of M. ulcerans.
确定溃疡分枝杆菌的源头宿主是了解该病原体传播方式及控制布氏杆菌病（BU）传播的关键。在澳大利亚，本土负鼠的胃肠道可携带溃疡分枝杆菌，并在粪便中排出高浓度的该细菌。迄今为止，非洲尚未发现类似的动物宿主。在此，我们检验了这样一个假设：在加纳布氏杆菌病流行村庄中，常见的家畜是类似于澳大利亚负鼠的宿主物种。我们在加纳阿散蒂阿基姆北区的四个布氏杆菌病流行村庄和一个非流行村庄，以10米的间隔设置线性样带，进行了系统的粪便调查。在一次调查活动中收集了180份粪便样本，并通过定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）分析溃疡分枝杆菌诊断性DNA靶标IS2404和KR-B。阳性和阴性对照结果符合预期，但所有180个测试样本均为阴性。这项结构化的快速调查表明，生活在人类居住区域及其周边的常见家畜粪便中不会排出溃疡分枝杆菌。我们得出结论，与澳大利亚本土负鼠不同，加纳农村的家畜不太可能是溃疡分枝杆菌的主要宿主。
