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. 2008 Aug;14(8):1247-54.
doi: 10.3201/eid1408.071503.

Aquatic invertebrates as unlikely vectors of Buruli ulcer disease

M Eric Benbow  1 , Heather Williamson, Ryan Kimbirauskas, Mollie D McIntosh, Rebecca Kolar, Charles Quaye, Felix Akpabey, D Boakye, Pam Small, Richard W Merritt
Affiliations

Aquatic invertebrates as unlikely vectors of Buruli ulcer disease

M Eric Benbow et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Buruli ulcer is a necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans and associated with exposure to aquatic habitats. To assess possible transmission of M. ulcerans by aquatic biting insects, we conducted a field examination of biting water bugs (Hemiptera: Naucoridae, Belostomatidae, Nepidae) in 15 disease-endemic and 12 non-disease-endemic areas of Ghana, Africa. From collections of 22,832 invertebrates, we compared composition, abundance, and associated M. ulcerans positivity among sites. Biting hemipterans were rare and represented a small percentage (usually <2%) of invertebrate communities. No significant differences were found in hemipteran abundance or pathogen positivity between disease-endemic and non-disease-endemic sites, and between abundance of biting hemipterans and M. ulcerans positivity. Therefore, although infection through insect bites is possible, little field evidence supports the assumption that biting hemipterans are primary vectors of M. ulcerans.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regional site map of water bodies sampled in Ghana for aquatic invertebrates during 2004, 2005, or both. Small maps on left show location of Ghana in Africa and location of regions sampled within Ghana (boxes).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Higher level classification (e.g., class, phylum) taxa percentage composition between A) Buruli ulcer–endemic (n = 15) and B) Buruli ulcer–nonendemic (n = 12) site types, Ghana.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Insect order percentage composition between Buruli ulcer–endemic (n = 15) and Buruli ulcer–nonendemic site types (n = 12), Ghana.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of enoyl-reduction-domain–positive taxa detected for each A) Buruli ulcer–endemic site (n = 15) and B) Buruli ulcer–nonendemic site (n = 12), Ghana.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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