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- Title
Histopathologic features of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection.
- Authors
Guarner, Jeannette; Bartlett, Jeanine; Spotts Whitney, Ellen A.; Raghunathan, Pratima L.; Stienstra, Ymkje; Asamoa, Kwame; Etuaful, Samuel; Klutse, Erasmus; Quarshie, Eric; van der Werf, Tjip s.; van der Graaf, Winette T.A.; King, C. Harold; Ashford, David A.; Whitney, Ellen A Spotts
- Abstract
Because of the emergence of Buruli ulcer disease, the World Health Organization launched a Global Buruli Ulcer Initiative in 1998. This indolent skin infection is caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. During a study of risk factors for the disease in Ghana, adequate excisional skin-biopsy specimens were obtained from 124 clinically suspicious lesions. Buruli ulcer disease was diagnosed in 78 lesions since acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were found by histopathologic examination. Lesions with other diagnoses included filariasis (3 cases), zygomycosis (2 cases), ulcerative squamous cell carcinomas (2 cases), keratin cyst (1 case), and lymph node (1 case). Thirty-seven specimens that did not show AFB were considered suspected Buruli ulcer disease cases. Necrosis of subcutaneous tissues and dermal collagen were found more frequently in AFB-positive specimens compared with specimens from suspected case-patients (p<0.001). Defining histologic criteria for a diagnosis of Buruli ulcer disease is of clinical and public health importance since it would allow earlier treatment, leading to less deforming sequelae.
- Subjects
MYCOBACTERIUM; MYCOBACTERIA; NECROSIS; COLLAGEN; ULCERS; MYCOBACTERIAL disease diagnosis; DNA analysis; SKIN disease diagnosis; COMMUNICABLE disease diagnosis; SKIN diseases; RESEARCH; COMMUNICABLE diseases; STAINS &; staining (Microscopy); SKIN; RESEARCH methodology; DIFFERENTIAL diagnosis; EVALUATION research; COMPARATIVE studies; MYCOBACTERIAL diseases; POLYMERASE chain reaction; SKIN ulcers; GRAM-positive bacteria
- Publication
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2003, Vol 9, Issue 6, p651
- ISSN
1080-6040
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.3201/eid0906.020485