Outcomes for Mycobacterium ulcerans infection with combined surgery and antibiotic theraphy: Findings from a south-eastern Australian case series

Abstract

Objective: To describe the effect of antibiotics on outcomes of treatment for Buruli or Bairnsdale ulcer (BU) in patients on the Bellarine Peninsula in south-eastern Australia. Design: Observational, non-randomised study with data collected prospectively or through medical record review. Patients and setting: All 40 patients with BU managed by staff of Barwon Health's Geelong Hospital (a public, secondary-level hospital) between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2004. Main outcome measures: Epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and clinical outcomes. Results: There were 59 treatment episodes; 29 involved surgery alone, 26 surgery plus antibiotics, and four antibiotics alone...