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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

chemical disinfection, mycobacterium ulcerous, disease

College

Life Sciences

Department

Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Abstract

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a disfiguring disease of the skin and muscle tissue, whose prevalence has grown exponentially in recent decades. An ulcerative disease similar to leprosy, Buruli ulcer is characterized by a superficial infection of the subcutaneous fat layer that results in large lesions that often spread to cover an entire limb. Although most severe in Third World countries, cases of M. ulcerans infection have been reported in 33 countries on five continents. According to World Health Organization statistics, the recent rise in incidence of the disease has been so pronounced that Buruli ulcer now threatens to surpass leprosy as the most widespread ulcerative disease worldwide. While much basic research is underway in an effort to better understand this relatively new organism, one particularly important piece of data remains unknown.

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Microbiology Commons

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