02486nas a2200529 4500000000100000008004100001260004400042653001700086653002700103653001300130653004300143653001500186653001700201653001700218653001400235100001100249700001700260700001300277700001200290700001500302700001400317700001300331700001200344700001400356700001600370700001800386700001600404700001100420700001400431700001400445700001400459700001300473700001400486700001600500700001500516700001300531700001600544700001400560700001500574700001300589245011400602856005900716300001200775490000600787520114900793022001401942 2024 d bSpringer Science and Business Media LLC10aCell Biology10aMicrobiology (medical)10aGenetics10aApplied Microbiology and Biotechnology10aImmunology10aMicrobiology10aBuruli ulcer10aMosquitos1 aMee PT1 aBuultjens AH1 aOliver J1 aBrown K1 aCrowder JC1 aPorter JL1 aHobbs EC1 aJudd LM1 aTaiaroa G1 aPuttharak N1 aWilliamson DA1 aBlasdell KR1 aTay EL1 aFeldman R1 aMuzari MO1 aSanders C1 aLarsen S1 aCrouch SR1 aJohnson PDR1 aWallace JR1 aPrice DJ1 aHoffmann AA1 aGibney KB1 aStinear TP1 aLynch SE00aMosquitoes provide a transmission route between possums and humans for Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia uhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01553-1.pdf a377-3890 v93 a

Buruli ulcer, a chronic subcutaneous infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is increasing in prevalence in southeastern Australia. Possums are a local wildlife reservoir for M. ulcerans and, although mosquitoes have been implicated in transmission, it remains unclear how humans acquire infection. We conducted extensive field survey analyses of M. ulcerans prevalence among mosquitoes in the Mornington Peninsula region of southeastern Australia. PCR screening of trapped mosquitoes revealed a significant association between M. ulcerans and Aedes notoscriptus. Spatial scanning statistics revealed overlap between clusters of M. ulcerans-positive Ae. notoscriptus, M. ulcerans-positive possum excreta and Buruli ulcer cases, and metabarcoding analyses showed individual mosquitoes had fed on humans and possums. Bacterial genomic analysis confirmed shared single-nucleotide-polymorphism profiles for M. ulcerans detected in mosquitoes, possum excreta and humans. These findings indicate Ae. notoscriptus probably transmit M. ulcerans in southeastern Australia and highlight mosquito control as a Buruli ulcer prevention measure.

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