<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>335562</docID> <postdate>2024-12-18 14:56:39</postdate> <headline>Dangerous flesh-eating bacteria detected in Batemans Bay</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-335563" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20050113000013400234-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="563" /></p> <caption>Mosquitoes can transmit the ulcer-causing bacteria to humans. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Luke Costin</strong> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>A flesh-eating ulcer that can lead to permanent disfigurement and has no known prevention has become endemic in Batemans Bay, about 110km southeast of Canberra, according to a new a</strong><strong>nalysis.</strong></p> <p>Buruli ulcer has been known to occur in Australia since the 1940s, with cases noted in NT and far-north Queensland. There is a surge of cases in Victoria, where a case is reported nearly every day.</p> <p>Now it has emerged in Batemans Bay.</p> <p>Researchers have pored over the coastal town's only two known cases, reported in 2021 and 2023, as well as picking apart 27 samples of possum poo.</p> <p>Possums are thought to be the main reservoir of the ulcer-causing bacteria, while mosquitoes act as an important transmitter to humans.</p> <p>"The new cases we report here in Batemans Bay could be a harbinger of a disease expansion in NSW similar to Victoria," the group of Australian researchers said in peer-reviewed journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.</p> <p>"The detection of positive possum excreta samples from Batemans Bay establishes beyond doubt that (the bacteria) is present in local possums."</p> <p>The bacteria found in Batemans Bay was distinct from the lineage prevalent in the most endemic areas of Victoria, including Melbourne, Geelong and surrounds.</p> <p>The discovery of Buruli ulcer in Batemans Bay had generated significant interest from local and interstate authorities, the research's lead author and infectious disease physician Mehrab Hossain said.</p> <p>"We were surprised to find Buruli ulcer in Batemans Bay, as there had been no previous cases reported in the region," she told AAP.</p> <p>More research might be needed in other parts of southeast Australia as additional cases arise, she said.</p> <p>The community shouldn't panic, however.</p> <p>"These infections are highly treatable, (but) it's important to remain vigilant," Dr Hossain said.</p> <p>Initially appearing as an insect bite, the lesion typically takes weeks or months to ulcerate.</p> <p>Early recognition and diagnosis is critical to prevent skin and tissue loss.</p> <p>If it is left untreated, extensive ulceration and tissue loss can occur.</p> <p>In one of the Batemans Bay cases, a 94-year-old man's ring finger was amputated after a large skin lesion with the ulcer-causing bacteria spread.</p> <p>"If you notice a skin infection that isn't healing despite antibiotics, it may require further investigation, including testing for Buruli ulcer," Dr Hossain said.</p> <p>"Additionally, preventing mosquito bites by using insect repellents and other protective measures is an effective way to reduce the risk of infection."</p> <p>Researchers said the many similarities in wildlife composition and insect presence between coastal Victoria and southern NSW made it likely NSW health authorities face progressive expansion of ulcer-endemic areas.</p> <p>Questions remain as to why cases in humans are popping up in areas sometimes hundreds of kilometres apart.</p> <p>Researchers said the many similarities in wildlife composition and insect presence between coastal Victoria and southern NSW made it likely NSW health authorities were facing progressive expansion of ulcer-endemic areas.</p> </body>