[Skin ulcer caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans in Cameroon. II. Bacteriological study]

Nine stains of Mycobacterium ulcerans isolated in Kamerun, in Congo and in France, were compared with six reference strains found in Zaïre, Australia and Mexico and M. intracellulare, M. simiae, M. paratuberculosis. These fiveteen strains constitutets an species whose typical features were: the difficult and slow growth at the optimum temperature of 30 degrees C, the biochemical tests and the sensitivity to rifampin, streptomycin, kanamycin, viomycin, cycloserin and probably capreomycin. In mice inoculated by the intravenous route, M. ulcerans gives ulcerations of external teguments and sometimes, internal lesions.