PPE Barcoding Identifies Biclonal Mycobacterium ulcerans Buruli Ulcer, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

We describe a new targeted sequencing approach that characterizes the PPE gene to disclose the simultaneous presence of different variants of a single pathogenic microorganism. This approach has direct implications on the understanding of pathogen diversity and natural history and potential therapeutic implications when dealing with obligate and opportunistic pathogens, such as Mycobacterium ulcerans presented here as a prototype.