Response to treatment in a prospective cohort of patients with large ulcerated lesions suspected to be Buruli Ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans disease).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, also called "Buruli ulcer" (BU), with a combination of the antibiotics rifampicin and streptomycin (R+S), whether followed by surgery or not. In endemic areas, a clinical case definition is recommended. We evaluated the effectiveness of this strategy in a series of patients with large ulcers of > or =10 cm in longest diameter in a rural health zone of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Methods

A cohort of 92 patients with large ulcerated lesions suspected to be BU was enrolled between October 2006 and September 2007 and treated according to WHO recommendations. The following microbiologic data were obtained: Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stained smear, culture and PCR. Histopatholog

SUBMITTER: Kibadi K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2897843 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature