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Mosquitoes spread the Buruli ulcer agent Mycobacterium ulcerans

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Cases of Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia have increased over the past 10 years. Native possums are a reservoir for Mycobacterium ulcerans (the cause of Buruli ulcer), but the route of transmission to humans is unclear. Our findings identify mosquitoes as the vector of M. ulcerans from possums to humans.

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Fig. 1: Humans, possums and mosquitoes with M. ulcerans interact spatially and share the same bacterial genotype.

References

  1. Fyfe, J. A. M. et al. A major role for mammals in the ecology of Mycobacterium ulcerans. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 4, e791 (2010). Report that identifies Australian native possums as a wildlife reservoir of M. ulcerans.

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This is a summary of: Mee, P. T. et al. Mosquitoes provide a transmission route between possums and humans for Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia. Nat. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01553-1 (2024).

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Mosquitoes spread the Buruli ulcer agent Mycobacterium ulcerans. Nat Microbiol 9, 320–321 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01554-0

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