Senegal, a new potential endemic country for Buruli ulcer?

Abstract

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causal agent of Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical disease with cutaneous tropism. We report a case of Buruli ulcer in a patient who travelled in Senegal, a country not identified by the World Health Organization as being endemic for this disease. This case is the third case of Buruli ulcer reported as having been contracted in Senegal, showing the urgent need to develop data collection in this country by having an active community-based surveillance–response system. Keywords: Mycobacterium ulcerans infection, Buruli ulcer, West Africa, Senegal, PCR, IS2404 gene, Ketoreductase B domain gene