TY - JOUR KW - Cell Biology KW - Microbiology (medical) KW - Genetics KW - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology KW - Immunology KW - Microbiology KW - Buruli ulcer KW - Mosquitos AU - Mee PT AU - Buultjens AH AU - Oliver J AU - Brown K AU - Crowder JC AU - Porter JL AU - Hobbs EC AU - Judd LM AU - Taiaroa G AU - Puttharak N AU - Williamson DA AU - Blasdell KR AU - Tay EL AU - Feldman R AU - Muzari MO AU - Sanders C AU - Larsen S AU - Crouch SR AU - Johnson PDR AU - Wallace JR AU - Price DJ AU - Hoffmann AA AU - Gibney KB AU - Stinear TP AU - Lynch SE AB -

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.

BT - Nature Microbiology DO - 10.1038/s41564-023-01553-1 IS - 2 LA - Eng N2 -

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.

PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC PY - 2024 SP - 377 EP - 389 T2 - Nature Microbiology TI - Mosquitoes provide a transmission route between possums and humans for Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01553-1.pdf VL - 9 SN - 2058-5276 ER -