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Volume 31, Number 3—March 2025
Dispatch
Mycobacterium ulcerans in Possum Feces before Emergence in Humans, Australia
, Jack Cornish, Kim R. Blasdell, Eugene Athan, Naomi E. Clarke, Tiffany Pe, Mohammad Akhtar Hussain, Michael Muleme, Ee Laine Tay, Michael Dunn, Victoria Boyd, Anjana Karawita, and Daniel P. O’Brien
Table 2
Proximity and timing of human cases of Buruli ulcer in areas with Mycobacterium ulcerans–positive possum fecal samples collected in 2020 and 2022, Australia*
| Characteristic | Cases diagnosed since 2020 | Cases within detected clusters | Cases not in detected clusters | Cases in 2-year follow-up survey area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cases |
39 |
26 |
13 |
24 |
| Distance from positive possum fecal sample, meters | ||||
| Median (IQR) | 283 (92–1,025) | 199 (88–393) | 1177 (209–1,256) | 108 (82–263) |
| Range |
35–1,867 |
35–1,531 |
70–1,867 |
35–405 |
| Proximity | ||||
| <200 meters | 16 (41) | 13 (50) | 3 (23) | 16 (67) |
| <500 meters |
26 (67) |
20 (77) |
6 (46) |
24 (100) |
| Months between possum detections and cases, median (IQR) | 17 (8–29) | 19 (8–31) | 16 (11–26) | 12 (7–28) |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. Clusters here include the 3 identified clusters (Belmont, Highton, Newtown, as presented in Figure 2, panel C). All fecal samples positive by IS2404 from any of the surveys (presurvey samples September 2019, main 2020 survey, 3-mo, 6-mo or 24-mo follow-up) were included in the measurement of proximity; the closest sample contributing to these summary measures. †Month calculated as days divided by 30. Two cases with closest proximity samples <100 meters in 2022 (postdiagnosis in 2021) have been excluded from this time calculation, although both had relatively proximal detections (<250 meters) before diagnosis also.