Journal article
Investigating the Role of Free-living Amoebae as a Reservoir for Mycobacterium ulcerans
NA Amissah, S Gryseels, NJ Tobias, B Ravadgar, M Suzuki, K Vandelannoote, L Durnez, H Leirs, TP Stinear, F Portaels, A Ablordey, M Eddyani
Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2014
Abstract
The reservoir and mode of transmission of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, still remain a mystery. It has been suggested that M. ulcerans persists with difficulty as a free-living organism due to its natural fragility and inability to withstand exposure to direct sunlight, and thus probably persists within a protective host environment.We investigated the role of free-living amoebae as a reservoir of M. ulcerans by screening the bacterium in free-living amoebae (FLA) cultures isolated from environmental specimens using real-time PCR. We also followed the survival of M. ulcerans expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP) in Acanthameoba castellanii by flow cytomet..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Flemish Interuniversity Council - University Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS) and by the Stop Buruli Initiative funded by the UBS Optimus Foundation (Zurich, Switzerland). SG was an FWO PhD fellow (1.1.671.10.N.00) during part of this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.