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. 2016 Jul 19;10(7):e0004856.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004856. eCollection 2016 Jul.

Spatiotemporal Co-existence of Two Mycobacterium ulcerans Clonal Complexes in the Offin River Valley of Ghana

Araceli Lamelas  1   2   3 , Kobina Assan Ampah  1   2   4 , Samuel Aboagye  4 , Sarah Kerber  1   2 , Emelia Danso  4 , Adwoa Asante-Poku  4 , Prince Asare  4 , Julian Parkhill  5 , Simon R Harris  5 , Gerd Pluschke  1   2 , Dorothy Yeboah-Manu  4 , Katharina Röltgen  1   2
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Spatiotemporal Co-existence of Two Mycobacterium ulcerans Clonal Complexes in the Offin River Valley of Ghana

Araceli Lamelas et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. .

Abstract

In recent years, comparative genome sequence analysis of African Mycobacterium ulcerans strains isolated from Buruli ulcer (BU) lesion specimen has revealed a very limited genetic diversity of closely related isolates and a striking association between genotype and geographical origin of the patients. Here, we compared whole genome sequences of five M. ulcerans strains isolated in 2004 or 2013 from BU lesions of four residents of the Offin river valley with 48 strains isolated between 2002 and 2005 from BU lesions of individuals residing in the Densu river valley of Ghana. While all M. ulcerans isolates from the Densu river valley belonged to the same clonal complex, members of two distinct clonal complexes were found in the Offin river valley over space and time. The Offin strains were closely related to genotypes from either the Densu region or from the Asante Akim North district of Ghana. These results point towards an occasional involvement of a mobile reservoir in the transmission of M. ulcerans, enabling the spread of bacteria across different regions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Phylogenetic reconstruction of M. ulcerans isolates belonging to the clonal complex circulating in the Densu river valley of Ghana.
Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on 292 variable nucleotide positions across M. ulcerans isolates produced by RAxML. A total of 48 M. ulcerans isolates from the Densu river valley and two isolates from the Offin river valley were shown to belong to the same clonal complex that has diversified substantially over time. The tree was rooted using M. ulcerans strain Agy99 as an out-group. Bootstrap values are shown along the branches. 0.01 = scale for genetic distance.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Phylogenetic reconstruction of M. ulcerans isolates belonging to the classical lineage (Australian and African strains).
Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on 11,194 variable nucleotide positions across M. ulcerans isolates by RAxML. M. ulcerans isolates from the Offin and Densu river (one representative each of the previously identified SNP haplotypes [8]) valleys were placed in a broader genomic context. The tree was rooted using M. ulcerans strain Mu 06–3844 (isolate from a fish farm in Belgium) as an out-group. Bootstrap values are shown along the branches. 0.02 = scale for genetic distance.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Phylogenetic reconstruction of closely related M. ulcerans isolates from different BU endemic areas of Ghana and from Benin.
Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on 776 variable nucleotide positions showing relations between the strains at a higher resolution than in Fig 2. Bootstrap values are shown along the branches. 0.002 = scale for genetic distance.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Geographical distribution of M. ulcerans isolates from the Offin river valley.
Map of the Offin river basin, depicting the residences of BU patients from whom the strains have been isolated in 2004 (red) and 2013 (green). The background map was created using the ArcMap program in ArcGIS v.10.0 software.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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