Observational studyPLoS neglected tropical diseases2017
The location of Australian Buruli ulcer lesions-Implications for unravelling disease transmission.
Observational study in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed.
- Buruli ulcer.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- Successful treatment with joint retention of Mycobacterium ulcerans prosthetic joint infection in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Management of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection (Buruli ulcer) in Australia: consensus statement.The Medical journal of Australia · 2025Article
- AtypicalJournal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Buruli ulcer surveillance in south-eastern Australian possums: Infection status, lesion mapping and internal distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Mosquitoes as Vectors of Mycobacterium ulcerans Based on Analysis of Notifications of Alphavirus Infection and Buruli Ulcer, Victoria, Australia.Emerging infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Mosquitoes provide a transmission route between possums and humans for Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia.Nature microbiology · 2024Article
- A lesion in two: Buruli ulcer and squamous cell carcinoma coexistence.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Pseudogenomic insights into the evolution of Mycobacterium ulcerans.BMC genomics · 2024Article
- Review
- Mycobacterium ulcerans not detected by PCR on human skin in Buruli ulcer endemic areas of south eastern Australia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Comprehensive Case-Control Study of Protective and Risk Factors for Buruli Ulcer, Southeastern Australia.Emerging infectious diseases · 2023Article
- A human model of Buruli ulcer: The case for controlled human infection and considerations for selecting a Mycobacterium ulcerans challenge strain.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Review
- Understanding the transmission of Mycobacterium ulcerans: A step towards controlling Buruli ulcer.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Review
- Does skin surface temperature variation account for Buruli ulcer lesion distribution?PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Observational
- Vaccine-Specific Immune Responses against Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection in a Low-Dose Murine Challenge Model.Infection and immunity · 2020Article
- In Vivo Imaging of BioluminescentThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2019Article
- Epidemiology of Buruli Ulcer Infections, Victoria, Australia, 2011-2016.Emerging infectious diseases · 2018Article
- The changing epidemiology worldwide ofEpidemiology and infection · 2018Article
- The association of rainfall and Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBuruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is increasing in incidence in Victoria, Australia. To improve understanding of disease transmission, we aimed to map the location of BU lesions on the human body.
methodsUsing notification data and clinical records review, we conducted a retrospective observational study of patients diagnosed with BU in Victoria from 1998-2015. We created electronic density maps of lesion locations using spatial analysis software and compared lesion distribution by age, gender, presence of multiple lesions and month of infection.
findingsWe examined 579 patients with 649 lesions; 32 (5.5%) patients had multiple lesions. Lesions were predominantly located on lower (70.0%) and upper (27.1%) limbs, and showed a non-random distribution with strong predilection for the ankles, elbows and calves. When stratified by gender, upper limb lesions were more common (OR 1·97, 95% CI 1·38-2·82, p<0·001) while lower limb lesions were less common in men than in women (OR 0·48, 95% CI 0·34-0·68, p<0·001). Patients aged ≥ 65 years (OR 3·13, 95% CI 1·52-6·43, p = 0·001) and those with a lesion on the ankle (OR 2·49, 95% CI 1·14-5·43, p = 0·02) were more likely to have multiple lesions. Most infections (71.3%) were likely acquired in the warmer 6 months of the year.
interpretationComparison with published work in Cameroon, Africa, showed similar lesion distribution and suggests the mode of M. ulcerans transmission may be the same across the globe. Our findings also aid clinical diagnosis and provide quantitative background information for further research investigating disease transmission.
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