Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://ahro.austin.org.au/austinjspui/handle/1/17769
Title: Comparative Genomics Shows That Mycobacterium ulcerans Migration and Expansion Preceded the Rise of Buruli Ulcer in Southeastern Australia.
Austin Authors: Buultjens, Andrew H;Vandelannoote, Koen;Meehan, Conor J;Eddyani, Miriam;de Jong, Bouke C;Fyfe, Janet A M;Globan, Maria;Tobias, Nicholas J;Porter, Jessica L;Tomita, Takehiro;Tay, Ee Laine;Seemann, Torsten;Howden, Benjamin P ;Johnson, Paul D R ;Stinear, Timothy P
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Unit of Mycobacteriology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Microbiology Diagnostic Unit, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Health Protection Branch, Department of Health & Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
Issue Date: Apr-2018
Date: 2018-04-15
Publication information: Applied and environmental microbiology 2018; 84(8): e02612-17
Abstract: Since 2000, cases of the neglected tropical disease Buruli ulcer, caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans, have increased 100-fold around Melbourne (population 4.4 million), the capital of Victoria, in temperate southeastern Australia. The reasons for this increase are unclear. Here, we used whole-genome sequence comparisons of 178 M. ulcerans isolates obtained primarily from human clinical specimens, spanning 70 years, to model the population dynamics of this pathogen from this region. Using phylogeographic and advanced Bayesian phylogenetic approaches, we found that there has been a migration of the pathogen from the east end of the state, beginning in the 1980s, 300 km west to the major human population center around Melbourne. This move was then followed by a significant increase in M. ulcerans population size. These analyses inform our thinking around Buruli ulcer transmission and control, indicating that M. ulcerans is introduced to a new environment and then expands, rather than it being from the awakening of a quiescent pathogen reservoir.IMPORTANCE Buruli ulcer is a destructive skin and soft tissue infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans and is characterized by progressive skin ulceration, which can lead to permanent disfigurement and long-term disability. Despite the majority of disease burden occurring in regions of West and central Africa, Buruli ulcer is also becoming increasingly common in southeastern Australia. Major impediments to controlling disease spread are incomplete understandings of the environmental reservoirs and modes of transmission of M. ulcerans The significance of our research is that we used genomics to assess the population structure of this pathogen at the Australian continental scale. We have then reconstructed a historical bacterial spread and modeled demographic dynamics to reveal bacterial population expansion across southeastern Australia. These findings provide explanations for the observed epidemiological trends with Buruli ulcer and suggest possible management to control disease spread.
URI: https://ahro.austin.org.au/austinjspui/handle/1/17769
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02612-17
ORCID: 0000-0003-0724-8343
0000-0001-9873-7163
Journal: Applied and environmental microbiology
PubMed URL: 29439984
Type: Journal Article
Subjects: Australia
Buruli ulcer
Mycobacterium ulcerans
genomics
phylogenetics
population genetics
public health
Appears in Collections:Journal articles

Show full item record

Page view(s)

16
checked on Mar 28, 2024

Google ScholarTM

Check


Items in AHRO are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.