Topography and Land Cover of Watersheds Predicts the Distribution of the Environmental Pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans in Aquatic Insects

Carolan, Kevin; Garchitorena, Andrés; García‐Peña, Gabriel E.; Morris, Aaron L.; Landier, Jordi; Fontanet, Arnaud; Gall, Philippe; Texier, Gaétan; Marsollier, Laurent; Gozlan, Rodolphe E.; Eyangoh, Sara; Seen, Danny Lo; Guégan, Jean‐François

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003298

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…They can also infect humans outside aquatic environments because of their ability to fly many kilometers away from their source (61,152). In Cameroon, M. ulcerans DNA was detected in communities of aquatic macroinvertebrates and vertebrates (153,154).…”

Section: Detection Of M Ulcerans In Insects and Aquatic Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Buruli Ulcer, a Prototype for Ecosystem-Related Infection, Caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Buruli ulcer is a noncontagious disabling cutaneous and subcutaneous mycobacteriosis reported by 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America. The causative agent, , derives from by genomic reduction and acquisition of a plasmid-borne, nonribosomal cytotoxin mycolactone, the major virulence factor. -specific sequences have been readily detected in aquatic environments in food chains involving small mammals. Skin contamination combined with any type of puncture, including insect bites, is the most plausible route of transmission, and skin temperature of<30°C significantly correlates with the topography of lesions. After 30 years of emergence and increasing prevalence between 1970 and 2010, mainly in Africa, factors related to ongoing decreasing prevalence in the same countries remain unexplained. Rapid diagnosis, including laboratory confirmation at the point of care, is mandatory in order to reduce delays in effective treatment. Parenteral and potentially toxic streptomycin-rifampin is to be replaced by oral clarithromycin or fluoroquinolone combined with rifampin. In the absence of proven effective primary prevention, avoiding skin contamination by means of clothing can be implemented in areas of endemicity. Buruli ulcer is a prototype of ecosystem pathology, illustrating the impact of human activities on the environment as a source for emerging tropical infectious diseases.

show abstract

Section: Detection Of M Ulcerans In Insects and Aquatic Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Buruli Ulcer, a Prototype for Ecosystem-Related Infection, Caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Buruli ulcer occurs mostly in low-lying swampy areas [ 9 , 10 ]. Epidemiological studies have shown that the aquatic environment is the main reservoir of M .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Field Study in Benin to Investigate the Role of Mosquitoes and Other Flying Insects in the Ecology of Mycobacterium ulcerans

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundBuruli ulcer, the third mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy, is caused by the environmental mycobacterium M. ulcerans. There is at present no clear understanding of the exact mode(s) of transmission of M. ulcerans. Populations affected by Buruli ulcer are those living close to humid and swampy zones. The disease is associated with the creation or the extension of swampy areas, such as construction of dams or lakes for the development of agriculture. Currently, it is supposed that insects (water bugs and mosquitoes) are host and vector of M. ulcerans. The role of water bugs was clearly demonstrated by several experimental and environmental studies. However, no definitive conclusion can yet be drawn concerning the precise importance of this route of transmission. Concerning the mosquitoes, DNA was detected only in mosquitoes collected in Australia, and their role as host/vector was never studied by experimental approaches. Surprisingly, no specific study was conducted in Africa. In this context, the objective of this study was to investigate the role of mosquitoes (larvae and adults) and other flying insects in ecology of M. ulcerans. This study was conducted in a highly endemic area of Benin.Methodology/Principal FindingsMosquitoes (adults and larvae) were collected over one year, in Buruli ulcer endemic in Benin. In parallel, to monitor the presence of M. ulcerans in environment, aquatic insects were sampled. QPCR was used to detected M. ulcerans DNA. DNA of M. ulcerans was detected in around 8.7% of aquatic insects but never in mosquitoes (larvae or adults) or in other flying insects.Conclusion/SignificanceThis study suggested that the mosquitoes don't play a pivotal role in the ecology and transmission of M. ulcerans in the studied endemic areas. However, the role of mosquitoes cannot be excluded and, we can reasonably suppose that several routes of transmission of M. ulcerans are possible through the world.

show abstract

“…Deforestation is known to affect incidence of Buruli ulcer and may thus influence MU infection prevalence as well (Brou et al , Wagner et al ). Indeed land cover variables influence MU prevalence (Carolan et al ) and, among a wide spectrum of landscape variables, previous studies showed that deforestation explains the most variation in MU prevalence in French Guiana, South America (Morris ). Therefore, as a source of variation that may confound our analysis we considered the effects of deforestation on MU infection prevalence.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche‐based host extinction increases prevalence of an environmentally acquired pathogen

García‐Peña

Garchitorena

Carolan

et al. 2016

Oikos

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the ecology of environmentally acquired and multi-host pathogens affecting humans and wildlife has been elusive in part because fluctuations in the abundance of host and pathogen species may feed back onto pathogen transmission. Complexity of pathogen-host dynamics emerges from processes driving local extinction of the pathogen, its hosts and non-hosts. While the extinction of species may entail losses in pathogen-host interactions and decrease the proportion of hosts infected by a pathogen (prevalence), some studies suggest the opposite pattern. Niche-based extinction, based on the species tolerance to environmental conditions, may increase prevalence of infection because the pathogen and its hosts persist, while other species go extinct. Hence, understanding prevalence of infection requires disentangling random-and niche-based extinction processes occurring simultaneously. To contribute to this exercise, we analysed the prevalence of an environmentally acquired, multi-host pathogen, Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU), in a unique dataset of 16 communities of freshwater animals, surveyed during 12 months in Akonolinga, Cameroon in equatorial Africa. Two different ecosystems were identified: rivers (lotic) and swamps and flooded areas (lentic). Increased prevalence of MU infection was correlated with niche-based extinction of aquatic host invertebrates and vertebrates in the lentic ecosystems, whereas decreased prevalence was associated with random disassembly of the lotic ecosystems. This finding suggests that random and niche-based extinction of host taxa are key to assessing the effect of local extinction of species on the ecology of environmentally acquired and multi-host pathogens.

show abstract

Topography and Land Cover of Watersheds Predicts the Distribution of the Environmental Pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans in Aquatic Insects

Cited by 13 publications

References 45 publications

Buruli Ulcer, a Prototype for Ecosystem-Related Infection, Caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans

Buruli Ulcer, a Prototype for Ecosystem-Related Infection, Caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans

A Field Study in Benin to Investigate the Role of Mosquitoes and Other Flying Insects in the Ecology of Mycobacterium ulcerans

Niche‐based host extinction increases prevalence of an environmentally acquired pathogen

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About