Application of real-time PCR in Ghana, a Buruli ulcer-endemic country, confirms the presence of Mycobacterium ulcerans in the environment

Abstract

This study reports the first successful application of real-time PCR for the detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU), in Ghana, a BU-endemic country. Environmental samples and organs of small mammals were analyzed. The real-time PCR assays confirmed the presence of M. ulcerans in a water sample collected in a BU-endemic village in the Ashanti Region. © 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.