Mapping the potential risk of mycetoma infection in Sudan and South Sudan using ecological niche modeling.

ABSTRACT: In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized mycetoma as one of the neglected tropical conditions due to the efforts of the mycetoma consortium. This same consortium formulated knowledge gaps that require further research. One of these gaps was that very few data are available on the epidemiology and transmission cycle of the causative agents. Previous work suggested a soil-borne or Acacia thorn-prick-mediated origin of mycetoma infections, but no studies have investigated effects of soil type and Acacia geographic distribution on mycetoma case distributions. Here, we map risk of mycetoma infection across Sudan and South Sudan using ecological niche modeling (ENM). For this study, records of mycetoma cases were obtained from the scientific literature and GIDEON; Acacia records w

SUBMITTER: Samy AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4199553 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature