Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Does skin surface temperature variation account for Buruli ulcer lesion distribution?

View ORCID ProfileNicola K. Sexton-Oates, Andrew J. Stewardson, Arvind Yerramilli, Paul D.R. Johnson
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/760496
Nicola K. Sexton-Oates
Department of Medicine, the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Nicola K. Sexton-Oates
  • For correspondence: nicola.sexton-oates@austin.org.au paul.johnson@austin.org.au
Andrew J. Stewardson
Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Arvind Yerramilli
Department of General Medicine, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Paul D.R. Johnson
Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: nicola.sexton-oates@austin.org.au paul.johnson@austin.org.au
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

Background Buruli ulcer is a necrotising infection of skin and soft tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans (M. ulcerans). Buruli ulcer most often occurs on limbs, and it is hypothesized this is explained by direct exposure to the environment. However, even on exposed areas Buruli ulcer is not randomly distributed. M. ulcerans prefers an in vitro temperature of 30-33°C and growth is inhibited at higher temperatures. This study investigated whether variations in skin surface temperature distribution in healthy volunteers could partly account for Buruli ulcer lesion distribution.

Methodology/Principal Findings In this observational study, a thermal camera (FLIR E8) was used to measure skin surface temperature at the sternal notch and at 44 predetermined locations on the limbs of 18 human participants. Body locations of high, middle and low Buruli ulcer incidence were identified from existing density maps of lesion distribution. Skin temperature of the three incidence location groups were compared, and differences in age and sex groups were also analysed.

We found an inverse relationship between skin temperature and lesion distribution, where high incidence locations were significantly cooler and low incidence locations significantly warmer (Kruskal-Wallis test p<0.0001). Linear mixed effects regression analysis estimated that skin surface temperature accounts for 9.5% of the variance in Buruli ulcer lesion distribution (marginal R-squared = 0.095). Men had warmer upper and lower limbs than females (Mann-Whitney U test p=0.0003 and p<0.0001 respectively).

Conclusions/Significance We have found an inverse relationship between skin temperature and Buruli ulcer lesion distribution, however this association is weak. Additional unknown factors are likely to be involved that explain the majority of the variation in Buruli lesion distribution.

Author Summary Buruli ulcer is a destructive soft tissue infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans. The precise mode of transmission remains unknown. One theory proposes that transmission occurs by direct contact with a contaminated environment. Lesions occur mostly on limbs, and it is hypothesized this is explained by direct exposure to the environment. However even on exposed areas, lesions are not randomly distributed. This study investigated whether skin surface temperature can partly explain Buruli ulcer lesion distribution. We measured the skin surface temperature of 18 healthy participants using a thermal camera and compared temperature distribution to the distribution of Buruli ulcer lesions investigated in a previously published study. We found that there is a negative correlation between skin temperature and Buruli ulcer lesion incidence. However, the association is weak and other factors e.g. clothing choice and insect biting patterns may explain the majority of Buruli ulcer lesion distribution.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted September 06, 2019.
Download PDF
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Does skin surface temperature variation account for Buruli ulcer lesion distribution?
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
Share
Does skin surface temperature variation account for Buruli ulcer lesion distribution?
Nicola K. Sexton-Oates, Andrew J. Stewardson, Arvind Yerramilli, Paul D.R. Johnson
bioRxiv 760496; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/760496
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Does skin surface temperature variation account for Buruli ulcer lesion distribution?
Nicola K. Sexton-Oates, Andrew J. Stewardson, Arvind Yerramilli, Paul D.R. Johnson
bioRxiv 760496; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/760496

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Pathology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (1533)
  • Biochemistry (2492)
  • Bioengineering (1747)
  • Bioinformatics (9700)
  • Biophysics (3915)
  • Cancer Biology (2979)
  • Cell Biology (4213)
  • Clinical Trials (135)
  • Developmental Biology (2639)
  • Ecology (4108)
  • Epidemiology (2033)
  • Evolutionary Biology (6911)
  • Genetics (5224)
  • Genomics (6519)
  • Immunology (2193)
  • Microbiology (6974)
  • Molecular Biology (2765)
  • Neuroscience (17348)
  • Paleontology (126)
  • Pathology (430)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (709)
  • Physiology (1062)
  • Plant Biology (2498)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (646)
  • Synthetic Biology (832)
  • Systems Biology (2691)
  • Zoology (433)