Unlocking of the secrets of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease transmission

Mycobacterium ulcerans is a bacterial infection causing necrotising lesions of skin and subcutaneous tissue. Widely known as Buruli ulcer, it is classified as a neglected tropical disease by WHO. If diagnosed and treated early, outcomes are good,1 but if left untreated it can progress to a severe disease resulting in high levels of morbidity and permanent disability.2 Occurring in 33 countries worldwide, the largest burden of disease is found in children living in rural and resource-limited areas of central and western Africa where limited access to health care and community beliefs and stigma—in Ghana, witchcraft and curses are among the explanations for this disease—lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, with devastating outcomes.