Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans DNA Using Real-Time PCR

Mycobacterium ulcerans is a slow-growing environmental bacterium that causes a severe skin disease known as Buruli ulcer. Rapid detection of M. ulcerans in clinical specimens is essential for ensuring early diagnosis and prevention of disability. This chapter describes a real-time PCR method for the direct detection of M. ulcerans from a variety of clinical and environmental samples (Fig. 1). Methods for the extraction of DNA from swabs, fresh tissue biopsies, and fixed tissue sections, which are the most common types of specimens used in the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer, are described in Chapter 6 . Chapter 7 describes the appropriate DNA extraction methods for environmental samples including soil, detritus, water, animal feces, and insects, as reliable detection of M. ulcerans in the environment is becoming increasingly important for understanding the ecology and transmission of this elusive pathogen.