Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (747 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A lesion in the skin and subcutaneous tissues due to infections by mycobacterium ulcerans. It was first reported in Uganda, Africa.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Ulcer, Buruli; Buruli Ulcer Disease; Buruli Ulcer Diseases; Disease, Buruli Ulcer; Diseases, Buruli Ulcer; Ulcer Disease, Buruli; Ulcer Diseases, Buruli; Infections, Mycobacterium ulcerans.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Skin Ulcer
Related concepts
- Mycobacterium Ulcerans
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 808 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Buruli Ulcer” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 227 of them (28.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 481 records.
Reviews account for 88 records (10.9%) and meta-analyses for 3. Randomized controlled trials number 10 (1.2%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 100 |
| 2010-2019 | 481 |
| 2020 onward | 227 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 88 | 10.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 3 | 0.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 10 | 1.2% |
Method: PubMed query "Buruli Ulcer"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in infectious diseases
Infectious disease evidence combines microbiology, epidemiology and clinical trials. Laboratory studies identify pathogens and how they cause harm; surveillance and outbreak investigations describe who is affected and how infection spreads; trials establish whether treatments and vaccines work. Results depend on place and time, because pathogens evolve and resistance patterns and population immunity change. Check when and where the data were collected, how cases were defined and how up to date the evidence is.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans in buruli ulcer endemic and non-endemic aquatic sites in Ghana | 2008 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 108 | cc by PMID 18365034 · DOI · PMC2268743 |
| Risk of Buruli ulcer and detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in mosquitoes in southeastern Australia | 2011 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 74 | cc by PMID 21949891 · DOI · PMC3176747 |
| Targeting the Mycobacterium ulcerans cytochrome bc1:aa3 for the treatment of Buruli ulcer | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 64 | cc by PMID 30560872 · DOI · PMC6299076 |
| Epidemiology of Buruli Ulcer in Victoria, Australia, 2017-2022 | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 40023793 · DOI · PMC11878321 |
Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans in buruli ulcer endemic and non-endemic aquatic sites in Ghana [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, is an emerging environmental bacterium in Australia and West Africa.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings imply that focal demography, along with patterns of human water contact, may play a major role in transmission of Buruli ulcer.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (235 words)
Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, is an emerging environmental bacterium in Australia and West Africa. The primary risk factor associated with Buruli ulcer is proximity to slow moving water. Environmental constraints for disease are shown by the absence of infection in arid regions of infected countries. A particularly mysterious aspect of Buruli ulcer is the fact that endemic and non-endemic villages may be only a few kilometers apart within the same watershed. Recent studies suggest that aquatic invertebrate species may serve as reservoirs for M. ulcerans, although transmission pathways remain unknown. Systematic studies of the distribution of M. ulcerans in the environment using standard ecological methods have not been reported. Here we present results from the first study based on random sampling of endemic and non-endemic sites. In this study PCR-based methods, along with biofilm collections, have been used to map the presence of M. ulcerans within 26 aquatic sites in Ghana. Results suggest that M. ulcerans is present in both endemic and non-endemic sites and that variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) profiling can be used to follow chains of transmission from the environment to humans. Our results suggesting that the distribution of M. ulcerans is far broader than the distribution of human disease is characteristic of environmental pathogens. These findings imply that focal demography, along with patterns of human water contact, may play a major role in transmission of Buruli ulcer.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 18365034 · DOI · PMC2268743
Risk of Buruli ulcer and detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in mosquitoes in southeastern Australia [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundBuruli ulcer (BU) is a destructive skin condition caused by infection with the environmental bacterium, Mycobacterium ulcerans.
- Closing excerpt
- This has implications for the development of intervention strategies to control and prevent BU.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (212 words)
BackgroundBuruli ulcer (BU) is a destructive skin condition caused by infection with the environmental bacterium, Mycobacterium ulcerans. The mode of transmission of M. ulcerans is not completely understood, but several studies have explored the role of biting insects. In this study, we tested for an association between the detection of M. ulcerans in mosquitoes and the risk of BU disease in humans in an endemic area of southeastern Australia.Methodology/principal findingsAdult mosquitoes were trapped in seven towns on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, from December 2004 to December 2009 and screened for M. ulcerans by real-time PCR. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of BU in permanent residents of these towns diagnosed during the same period was tallied to determine the average cumulative incidence of BU in each location. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was calculated for the proportion of M. ulcerans-positive mosquitoes per town correlated with the incidence of BU per town. We found a strong dose-response relationship between the detection of M. ulcerans in mosquitoes and the risk of human disease (r, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99; p Conclusions/significanceThe results of this study strengthen the hypothesis that mosquitoes are involved in the transmission of M. ulcerans in southeastern Australia. This has implications for the development of intervention strategies to control and prevent BU.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 21949891 · DOI · PMC3176747
Targeting the Mycobacterium ulcerans cytochrome bc1:aa3 for the treatment of Buruli ulcer [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical skin disease that is most commonly found in children from West and Central Africa.
- Closing excerpt
- ulcerans replicating in vitro and in mice, making the drug a promising candidate for Buruli ulcer treatment.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (149 words)
Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical skin disease that is most commonly found in children from West and Central Africa. Despite the severity of the infection, therapeutic options are limited to antibiotics with severe side effects. Here, we show that M. ulcerans is susceptible to the anti-tubercular drug Q203 and related compounds targeting the respiratory cytochrome bc1:aa3. While the cytochrome bc1:aa3 is the primary terminal oxidase in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the presence of an alternate bd-type terminal oxidase limits the bactericidal and sterilizing potency of Q203 against this bacterium. M. ulcerans strains found in Buruli ulcer patients from Africa and Australia lost all alternate terminal electron acceptors and rely exclusively on the cytochrome bc1:aa3 to respire. As a result, Q203 is bactericidal at low dose against M. ulcerans replicating in vitro and in mice, making the drug a promising candidate for Buruli ulcer treatment.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30560872 · DOI · PMC6299076
Epidemiology of Buruli Ulcer in Victoria, Australia, 2017-2022 [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Buruli ulcer (BU) is a rare, neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans that can lead to severe skin ulcers.
- Closing excerpt
- The expansion of BU-endemic areas throughout Victoria remains a public health concern and calls for targeted action, particularly for patients and clinicians in new BU-endemic areas.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (151 words)
Buruli ulcer (BU) is a rare, neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans that can lead to severe skin ulcers. To determine the epidemiology of BU in Victoria, Australia, during 2017-2022 we analyzed surveillance data. A total of 1,751 cases of BU were notified; 968 (55%) patients were male and 781 (45%) female (2 were missing sex data), and 984 (56%) resided in established BU-endemic areas, although an increasing number were in new BU-endemic areas. Most cases (83%, 1,301) were classified as category I. Multivariate modeling demonstrated that factors for severe BU included being male, being older, and living in a new BU-endemic or non-BU-endemic area. A relatively shorter interval between first visit to a clinician and receipt of diagnosis was protective against severe disease. The expansion of BU-endemic areas throughout Victoria remains a public health concern and calls for targeted action, particularly for patients and clinicians in new BU-endemic areas.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40023793 · DOI · PMC11878321
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Buruli ulcer: reductive evolution enhances pathogenicity of Mycobacterium ulcerans [5]
- Research article Buruli ulcer [6]
- Research article Recent advances: role of mycolactone in the pathogenesis and monitoring of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection/Buruli ulcer disease [7]
- Research article Sec61 blockade by mycolactone: A central mechanism in Buruli ulcer disease [8]
- Research article Pathogenetic mechanisms of the intracellular parasite Mycobacterium ulcerans leading to Buruli ulcer [9]
- Research article Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) [10]
References
- Williamson HR, Benbow ME, Nguyen KD, Beachboard DC, Kimbirauskas RK, McIntosh MD, et al.. Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans in buruli ulcer endemic and non-endemic aquatic sites in Ghana. . 2008. PMID 18365034 · DOI · PMC2268743
- Lavender CJ, Fyfe JA, Azuolas J, Brown K, Evans RN, Ray LR, et al.. Risk of Buruli ulcer and detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in mosquitoes in southeastern Australia. . 2011. PMID 21949891 · DOI · PMC3176747
- Scherr N, Bieri R, Thomas SS, Chauffour A, Kalia NP, Schneide P, et al.. Targeting the Mycobacterium ulcerans cytochrome bc1:aa3 for the treatment of Buruli ulcer. . 2018. PMID 30560872 · DOI · PMC6299076
- Ravindran B, Hennessy D, O'Hara M, Tay EL, Banuve RS, McVernon J, et al.. Epidemiology of Buruli Ulcer in Victoria, Australia, 2017-2022. . 2025. PMID 40023793 · DOI · PMC11878321
- Demangel C, Stinear TP, Cole ST. Buruli ulcer: reductive evolution enhances pathogenicity of Mycobacterium ulcerans. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009. PMID 19079352 · DOI
- Portaels F, Silva MT, Meyers WM. Buruli ulcer. Clin Dermatol. 2009. PMID 19362692 · DOI
- Sarfo FS, Phillips R, Wansbrough-Jones M, Simmonds RE. Recent advances: role of mycolactone in the pathogenesis and monitoring of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection/Buruli ulcer disease. Cell Microbiol. 2016. PMID 26572803 · DOI · PMC4705457
- Demangel C, High S. Sec61 blockade by mycolactone: A central mechanism in Buruli ulcer disease. Biol Cell. 2018. PMID 30055020 · DOI
- Silva MT, Portaels F, Pedrosa J. Pathogenetic mechanisms of the intracellular parasite Mycobacterium ulcerans leading to Buruli ulcer. Lancet Infect Dis. 2009. PMID 19850228 · DOI
- Walsh DS, Portaels F, Meyers WM. Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection). Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2008. PMID 18657836 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.