Flesh-eating Buruli ulcer cases found for the first time in Batemans Bay NSW

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-12-17 10:05

Australia; NSW; VIC; NT; ACT

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Two cases of the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) have been found in Batemans Bay on the east coast of New South Wales (NSW). The cases were found 150 km north of Eden, the only other place in NSW where Buruli ulcer was likely locally acquired. In Australia,  Victoria has been the main location of Buruli ulcer cases, and evidence points to native possums and mosquitoes playing a role in its spread to people. DNA analysis showed the bacteria in the two NSW cases are distinct but closely related to the bacteria from the earlier case in Eden to the south, suggesting the bacteria have been in the region for some time. Why Buruli ulcer cases have appeared in the last three years is a question that remains to be answered, the authors say, but lessons from Victoria suggest it may be related to increases in the bacteria in a local possum population.