Data from: Landscape and environmental influences on Mycobacterium ulcerans distribution among aquatic sites in Ghana

Buruli ulcer, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is highly endemic in West Africa. While the mode of transmission is unknown, many studies associate Buruli ulcer with different types of water exposure. We present results from the largest study to date to test for M. ulcerans in aquatic sites and identify environmental attributes associated with its presence. Environmental samples from 98 aquatic sites in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Volta regions of Ghana were tested for the presence of M. ulcerans DNA by polymerase chain reaction. The proportion of aquatic sites positive for M. ulcerans varied by region: Ashanti 66% (N = 39), Greater Accra 34% (N = 29), and Volta 0% (N = 30). We explored the spatial distribution of M. ulcerans positive and negative water bodies and found no significant clusters. We also determined both highly localized water attributes and broad scale remotely sensed land cover and terrain environmental characteristics associated with M. ulcerans presence through logistic regression. Our results concur with published results regarding conditions suitable for M. ulcerans growth and associations with Buruli ulcer disease burden with regards to water characteristics and disturbed environments, but differ from others with regards to spatial associations and topographic effects such as elevation and wetness. While our results suggest M. ulcerans is an environmental organism existing in a specific ecological niche, they also reveal variation in the elements defining this niche across the sites considered. In addition, despite the causal association between Buruli ulcer and M. ulcerans, we observed no significant statistical association between case reports of Buruli ulcer and presence of M. ulcerans in nearby waterbodies.

布鲁里溃疡（Buruli ulcer）由溃疡分枝杆菌（Mycobacterium ulcerans）引发，在西非地区呈高度地方性流行。尽管其传播途径尚未明确，但诸多研究均将布鲁里溃疡与不同类型的水体暴露建立了关联。本研究展示了迄今为止规模最大的水生环境溃疡分枝杆菌检测研究成果，并明确了与其检出情况相关的环境特征。研究人员对加纳大阿克拉、阿散蒂以及沃尔特三个地区的98处水生场所的环境样本开展了聚合酶链式反应（polymerase chain reaction）检测，以筛查其中是否存在溃疡分枝杆菌DNA。不同地区的水生场所溃疡分枝杆菌检出率存在显著差异：阿散蒂地区为66%（样本量N=39），大阿克拉地区为34%（N=29），沃尔特地区为0%（N=30）。研究团队对溃疡分枝杆菌阳性与阴性水体的空间分布进行了探索，未发现显著的空间聚集特征。此外，通过逻辑回归（logistic regression）分析，本研究同时确定了与溃疡分枝杆菌检出相关的高度局域化水体特征，以及大尺度遥感土地覆盖与地形环境特征。本研究结果与已发表文献中关于溃疡分枝杆菌生长适宜条件、水体特征与受干扰环境和布鲁里溃疡疾病负担的关联结论保持一致，但在空间相关性以及海拔、湿度等地形效应方面的结论与其他研究存在差异。尽管本研究结果提示溃疡分枝杆菌是一种栖息于特定生态位的环境微生物，但同时也揭示了在所纳入的采样位点中，界定该生态位的要素存在差异。此外，尽管布鲁里溃疡与溃疡分枝杆菌之间存在明确的因果关联，但研究未观察到布鲁里溃疡病例报告与附近水体中溃疡分枝杆菌检出情况之间存在显著的统计学关联。