and recipes included in the herbal medicines in the maritime region where this disease is more common. Method: The methodology was based on ethnobotanical semi-structural individual interviews of 16 traditional healers in the maritime region. The Data were collected and analyzed in Microsoft excel 2013. Results: 10 of the traditional healers were male and the average age of all the respondents was 42.31 ± 4.24 years. A total of 27 plant species belonging to 20 families were identified. The most represented families were: Caesalpinaceae with 3 species, Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Sapindaceae and Annonaceae with 2 species each. In the preparation methods, the decoction is the most used (37%), followed by the black powdered incorporated in an ointment (24%), the maceration (15%), the infusion (12%), the spraying (6%) and poultices (6%). These modes of preparation, were administered mainly externally by massage, disinfection of the lesion and orally. The most used parts of the plants were leaves (48%), roots (21%), and bark (10%). The species with the highest frequency of use were Blighia sapida KD Koenig, Amaranthus spinosus L, Ocimum canum Sims, Piliostigma thonningii (Schum.) Milne-Redh, Aloe verra L, Anacardium occidentale L, Paullinia pinnata L and Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A.Rich. Conclusion: By highlighting these plant species of interest, this study has an applicability in therapeutic innovation. It can contribute to the chemical, pharmacological and clinical evaluations of their molecules leading to development of phytomedicines to produce new drugs to strengthen the already existing therapeutic arsenal.

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a serious skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection. Over the last 10 years, the understanding of the epidemiology, ecology, aetiology and physiopathology of BU has progressed considerably. This paper reviews the current knowledge of BU and the options for future prevention. Currently, the BU is distributed in areas where people are living near swampy areas with stagnant or slow-flowing streams, practicing activities related to water contact with evidence of the presence of M. ulcerans in the environment such as soil, plants, water and aquatic insects. Future options for infection control should be focused on the one hand on the disease diagnosis with development of new laboratory point-of-care tests, and patient treatment by encouraging oral drugs treatment as well as the initiation of traditional plant-based treatments in the context of low- and middle-income countries. On the other hand, the prevention could also be strengthened by wound management as pillar in the BU management and encourage sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and practices.