Extraction of DNA from Environmental Samples for the Real-Time PCR Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans.

Mycobacterium ulcerans is a slow-growing environmental bacterium that causes a severe skin disease known as Buruli ulcer. Identification of environmental reservoirs and agents associated with disease transmission is crucial to understanding the risk factors for this emerging infectious disease. Since culture of M. ulcerans from the environment still proves to be problematic, the direct detection of M. ulcerans in environmental samples via PCR has become increasingly important as the research community seeks to elucidate the mode(s) of transmission and environmental reservoir(s) of this elusive organism.