142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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307894
Buruli Ulcer: Environmental Determinants Assessment, A field Study- Akonolinga, Cameroon

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Olivia Ellis, MS, MPH, PHM, M (ASCP)cm, REHS , Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Peter Kaganjo , UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles
Buruli Ulcer (BU), one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), is the third most common Mycobacterium spp. related disease after tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy. BU is caused by M. ulcerans, which is phylogenetically related to the fish pathogen M. marinum. Farming and fishing along the Nyong River, near Akonolinga, Cameroon, is thought to expose residents to water and insects that make residents susceptible to infection with M. ulcerans. The reservoir for BU is still a quandary and WHO guidelines recommend continued study on its mode of transmission. This study was aimed at elucidating the environmental origin and potential reservoirs of M. ulcerans along the Nyong River basin, the most endemic region of Cameroon. Environmental samples were taken along the Nyong river basin in Ndibi, Abong Mbong, and Ayos, as well as fishing grounds in Akonolinga during the month of July in 2013. Swab samples were taken from insects, fish, cow’s blood and dung, domestic dogs, frogs, porcupine, muddy water, plants, algae and other environmental sources. DNA extraction was performed together with RT-PCR using the insertion sequence IS2404 for each of the samples. All PCR results were negative for M. ulcerans. Positive and negative controls were positive and negative for M. ulcerans, respectively. The samples were all negative for M, ulcerans. This could mean that the samples did not the Mycobacterium. Conversely, seasonal variance (wet versus dry) may have affected the presence of the microbe in the environment. Environmental contamination may have inhibited the isolation of M. ulcerans. Further sampling should be done to determine the reservoir of this disease in this region. Additionally, follow-up sampling should be completed during the wet season to rule out seasonal variation and culture methods should be developed in order to identify living organisms from environmental samples.

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Epidemiology
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health biology

Learning Objectives:
Define the causative agent (Mycobacterium ulcerans) of the infectious disease commonly referred to as Buruli ulcer (BU) List the environmental reservoirs that have been associated with BU infection Describe the extent of the global burden of disease and distribution of BU Discuss the means by which BU may be prevented Explain the current treatment options for BU infection Identify susceptible populations that may be at risk for developing BU Demonstrate a deeper knowledge of this neglected tropical disease (NTD) Differentiate between the various stages of BU infection designated by the WHO Compare the global burden of disease to the programs aimed at treating, preventing and eradicating this NTD Design programs with measurable outcomes that are aimed at treating and preventing BU infections Formulate hypotheses about the environmental origins of this elusive pathogen Evaluate the barriers to identifying the reservoir and/or host of this NTD Assess the need for continued research in the field Name the organizations dedicated to treating, preventing and eradicating BU Analyze the current literature related to BU

Keyword(s): International Health, Water & Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the principle researcher that received funding from the UCLA Graduate Student Research Mentorship program to complete the field work and laboratory methods at Centre Pasteur du Cameroon in Yaounde.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.