Multiple Introductions and Recent Spread of the Emerging Human Pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans across Africa
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2017-03Author
Vandelannoote, K.Meehan, Conor J.
Eddyani, M.
Affolabi, D.
Phanzu, D.M.
Eyangoh, S.
Jordaens, K.
Portaels, F.
Mangas, K.
Seemann, T.
Marsollier, L.
Marion, E.
Chauty, A.
Landier, J.
Fontanet, A.
Leirs, H.
Stinear, T.P.
de Jong, B.C.
Keyword
Bacterial pathogen transmissionMicrobial population genomics
Molecular evolution
Phylogeography
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© The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Peer-Reviewed
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Show full item recordAbstract
Buruli ulcer (BU) is an insidious neglected tropical disease. Cases are reported around the world but the rural regions of West and Central Africa are most affected. How BU is transmitted and spreads has remained a mystery, even though the causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans, has been known for more than 70 years. Here, using the tools of population genomics, we reconstruct the evolutionaryhistoryofM. ulceransbycomparing165isolatesspanning48yearsandrepresenting11endemiccountriesacrossAfrica. The genetic diversity of African M. ulcerans was found to be restricted due to the bacterium’s slow substitution rate coupled with its relatively recent origin. We identified two specific M. ulcerans lineages within the African continent, and inferred that M. ulcerans lineage Mu_A1 existed in Africa for several hundreds of years, unlike lineage Mu_A2, which was introduced much more recently, approximately during the 19th century. Additionally, we observed that specific M. ulcerans epidemic Mu_A1 clones were introduced during the same time period in the three hydrological basins that were well covered in our panel. The estimated time span of the introduction events coincides with the Neo-imperialism period, during which time the European colonial powers divided the African continent among themselves. Using this temporal association, and in the absence of a known BU reservoir or—vector on the continent, we postulate that the so-called "Scramble for Africa" played a significant role in the spread of the disease across the continent.Version
Published versionCitation
Vandelannoote K, Meehan CJ, Eddyani M, et al (2017) Multiple Introductions and Recent Spread of the Emerging Human Pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans across Africa. Genome Biology and Evolution. 9(3):414-426.Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evx003Type
Articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evx003