Buruli ulcer causes a condition not unlike deep vein thrombosis, according to new research. This similarity means similar treatments can be considered, namely anticoagulant medicines. Trials have shown that anticoagulants promote healing faster than antibiotics alone.
Buruli ulcer is alternatively cackled Bairnsdale ulcer, Searls ulcer, or Daintree ulcer. It is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium ulcerans. Mycobacteria are very tough organisms, due to the bacterial cell being protected by a waxy outer cell coat. An infection with the bacteria leads to skin nodules forming and, when unchecked, these lead to an ulcer developing. If the ulcer progresses skin is lost to the extent that bone is affected. With current antibiotics treatment of the disease is successful in 80 percent of cases, although treatment takes around eight weeks.
The disease affects many impoverished communities in West Africa. In order to find faster and more effective treatment, medical researchers have drawn parallels with deep vein thrombosis. This has allowed anti-coagulant medications to be trialed and initial results are successful. Thus anticoagulants appear to improve the response to antibiotics and thereby improve treatment outcomes for patients.
Although the disease is rarely fatal it leads to long-term disfigurement and disability. Around 5,000 people per year are affected, mostly in Africa and, to an extent, in Australia and Southeast Asia.
How someone becomes infected is unclear. The organism that causes the disease is related to a type that causes leprosy or tuberculosis. Some researchers think that there is a connection between the bacteria and water sources, although there is insufficient data to confirm this assumption.
The research has been conducted at the University of Surrey. The findings have been published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. The research is called “Mycolactone-Dependent Depletion of Endothelial Cell Thrombomodulin Is Strongly Associated with Fibrin Deposition in Buruli Ulcer Lesions.”
