01504nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653001000058653002000068653001200088653001000100653002500110653002000135653001100155653004500166653002700211653001200238653002500250653002300275100001200298245005900310300001100369490000800380520082400388022001401212       2003                            d  c2003 Nov 0610aAdult10aAfrica, Western10aAnimals10aChild10aDeveloping countries10aDisease Vectors10aHumans10aMycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous10aMycobacterium ulcerans10aPoverty10aSkin Transplantation10aWater Microbiology1 aRoupe G00a[Buruli ulcer--Africa's latest mycobacterial scourge].  a3596-70 v1003 a<p>Buruliulcer is an extensive ulceration usually on the extremities. The ulcer can spread to subcutaneous fat, muscle and even bone causing osteomyelitis and death. It is the the third most common mycobacterial disease in humans after tuberculosis and leprosy. The bacterium grows in still standing water and infects children through small ulcerations in their skin. Mycobacterium ulcerans may also be transmitted by the bite of aquatic bugs (Naucordiae), which harbor the bacterium in their salivary glands. The disease affects poor people in rural, tropical areas where deforestation has led to flooding rivers, stagnant bodies of water and marsh. Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana in West Africa are seriously hit. Skin transplantation is the treatment of choice. Treatment with antibiotics has been disappointing.</p>  a0023-7205