Kinetics of mycolactone in human subcutaneous tissue during antibiotic therapy for Mycobacterium ulcerans disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mycobacterium ulcerans (M. ulcerans) causes a devastating necrotising infection of skin tissue leading to progressive ulceration. M. ulcerans is the only human pathogen that secretes mycolactone, a polyketide molecule with potent cytotoxic and immunomodulatory properties. These unique features make mycolactone an attractive biomarker for M. ulcerans disease. We sought to measure the concentration of mycolactone within lesions of patients with Buruli ulcer before, during and after antibiotic treatment to evaluate its association with the clinical and bacteriological response to therapy.

Methods

Biopsies of M. ulcerans infected skin lesions were obtained from patients before, during and after antibiotic therapy. Lipids were extracted from the biopsies and concentrat

SUBMITTER: Sarfo FS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4021496 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature