In Australia, a “flesh-eating” bacteria is spreading dangerously

As of December 17, 2024, 344 cases of Buruli ulcer have been reported compared to 362 cases in 2023, 338 cases in 2022, 286 cases in 2021 and 217 cases in 2020. This infection is more identified in people over 60 years old. This was reported by Ben Cowie, Director of Health for the State of Victoria, where the city of Melbourne is located, in a recent press release. This pathology has been detected in many regions of south-eastern Australia: that “Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine Peninsula, Westernport, Frankston/Langwarrin, South Eastern Bayside Suburbs, East Gippsland”but also in “the towns of Breamlea, Torquay, Anglesea and Aireys Inlet in the Surf Coast Shire. Several suburbs of Greater Geelong, particularly Belmont, Highton, Newtown, Wandana Heights, Grovedale and Marshall, and the inner Melbourne suburbs of Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Brunswick West, Pascoe Vale South, Ascot Vale and Strathmore” are also affected.

Buruli ulcer: a disease caused by a “flesh-eating” bacteria

As a reminder, Buruli ulcer is a chronic disease caused by a bacteria present in the environment, called Mycobacterium ulcerans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this pathogen, belonging to the same family as those responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy, produces a toxin that causes skin damage. More precisely, this condition manifests itself, initially, as a nodule, namely a swelling, a plaque or a diffuse and painless edema. “The upper limbs are affected in 35% of cases, the lower limbs in 55% of cases and other parts of the body in 10% of cases.” The pathology can progress without pain or fever. “The incubation period varies from 4 weeks to 9 months, with an average of 4 to 5 months. Within one or two months, the lesions may ulcerate, forming a characteristic ulcer,” in the absence of antibiotics and additional treatments, explain the Australian health authorities.

Mosquitoes and opossums 'play a role in the transmission of' Mycobacterium ulcerans

Currently, the exact mode of transmission of Mycobacterium ulcerans is not known with certainty, according to the WHO. The latter “is not transmissible from person to person, but there is evidence that mosquitoes play a role in transmitting the disease in Victoria. The ulcer-causing bacteria is also found in opossum feces, which have been observed with ulcers and open sores”, said Ben Cowie. Therefore, since everyone is susceptible to contracting Buruli ulcer, health authorities recommend that people living in the same household as those suffering from this chronic disease monitor any non-healing skin lesions and consult a doctor promptly, “because they may have been exposed to the same environmental source.”

Buruli ulcer: how to avoid getting sick?

Faced with the increase in cases of Buruli ulcer, Ben Cowie advises not to handle opossums and to avoid contact with their excrement. To avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, it is recommended to wear long, loose and light-colored clothing, to use anti-mosquito coils or a plug-in repellent or to attach mosquito nets to windows and doors. “Reduce mosquito breeding sites around homes and other dwellings by changing the water weekly or reducing areas where water can collect (including saucers of potted plants, dog bowls, buckets, ponds, opened cans, discarded tires, stored trailers or boats, and untreated swimming pools).