Gyamfi Elizabeth, Dogbe Magdalene Amerl, Quaye Charles, Affouda Abel Adjet, Kyei-Baffour Edwin, Awuku-Asante Daisy, Sarpong-Duah Mabel, Mosi Lydia
Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Front Microbiol. 2022 Jun 23;13:872579. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.872579. eCollection 2022.
Buruli ulcer (BU), a necrotic skin disease caused by , is mainly prevalent in West Africa, but cases have also been reported in other tropical parts of the world. It is the second most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Heterogeneity among from different geographical locations has not been clearly elucidated, and some studies seem to suggest genetic differences between in humans and in the environment. This study aimed at identifying genetic differences among strains between two BU endemic countries: Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Clinical samples consisting of swabs, fine needle aspirates, and tissue biopsies of suspected BU lesions and environmental samples (e.g., water, biofilms from plants, soil, and detrital material) were analyzed. BU cases were confirmed acid fast staining and PCR targeting the 16S rRNA, IS, , and ER domain genes present on . Heterogeneity among was determined through VNTR profiling targeting 10 loci. Eleven genotypes were identified within the clinical samples in both Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, whiles six genotypes were found among the environmental samples. Clinical genotypes C, D, F, and G were common in both countries. Genotype E was unique among the Ghanaian samples, whiles genotypes A, Z, J, and K were unique to the Ivorian samples. Environmental isolates were found to be more conserved compared with the clinical isolates. Genotype W was observed only among the Ghanaian environmental samples. Genotype D was found to be prominent in both clinical and environmental samples, suggesting evidence of possible transmission of from the environment, particularly water bodies and biofilms from aquatic plants, to humans through open lesions on the skin.
布氏溃疡（BU）是一种由[具体病原体未给出]引起的坏死性皮肤病，主要流行于西非，但在世界其他热带地区也有病例报告。在加纳和科特迪瓦，它是仅次于结核病的第二常见分枝杆菌病。来自不同地理位置的[具体病原体未给出]之间的异质性尚未得到明确阐明，一些研究似乎表明人类和环境中的[具体病原体未给出]存在基因差异。本研究旨在确定两个布氏溃疡流行国家——加纳和科特迪瓦——的[具体病原体未给出]菌株之间的基因差异。对由疑似布氏溃疡病变的拭子、细针穿刺抽吸物和组织活检组成的临床样本以及环境样本（如水、植物生物膜、土壤和碎屑物质）进行了分析。通过针对[具体病原体未给出]上存在的16S rRNA、IS、[具体基因未给出]和ER结构域基因的抗酸染色和PCR来确诊布氏溃疡病例。通过针对10个位点的可变数目串联重复序列（VNTR）分析确定[具体病原体未给出]之间的异质性。在加纳和科特迪瓦的临床样本中均鉴定出11种[具体病原体未给出]基因型，而在环境样本中发现了6种[具体病原体未给出]基因型。临床[具体病原体未给出]基因型C、D、F和G在两国都很常见。基因型E在加纳样本中是独特的，而基因型A、Z、J和K是科特迪瓦样本所特有的。与临床分离株相比，环境分离株更为保守。仅在加纳环境样本中观察到基因型W。基因型D在临床和环境样本中都很突出，这表明有证据表明[具体病原体未给出]可能通过皮肤开放性损伤从环境，特别是水体和水生植物生物膜，传播给人类。
