An international team of researchers led by Monash University scientist Dr Tim Stinear has unlocked the inner secrets of a mysterious bacterial disease that is affecting more than 60 Victorians each year.

Reported incidents of the Buruli (Bairnsdale) Ulcer have increased dramatically in recent years.

In 2006, 63 cases were reported in Victoria alone, where in previous years, less than 30 cases were reported throughout the entire nation. The reasons for this sudden increase are unknown. The disease is also known to exist in 30 other countries -- most predominantly in Africa where it is in epidemic proportions.

The disease begins as an infection beneath the skin while an unusual toxin destroys fat cells and suppresses the immune system. Advanced stages of the disease result in massive skin ulcers, causing deformities and permanent disability. Victims often need extensive surgery to remove ulcers and repair skin defects. Antibiotics are not always effective and there is no vaccine.

The breakthrough by Dr Tim Stinear and his team is the first time that a complete DNA sequence (genome) of this flesh-eating bacterium, called Mycobacterium ulcerans, has been determined. The team now have its complete blueprint and are using it to identify gene targets which will be used in further research to improve diagnosis, and to develop drugs and vaccines with the aim of preventing the disease.

People are thought to contract the disease after contact with swamps or slow-flowing water but exactly how people contract the disease and where M. ulcerans live in the environment still remains a mystery. Scientists speculate that it could be spread by mosquitoes but it is yet to be supported by scientific research.

"Having the full genome sequence of this pathogen provides a source of hope and direction for the fight against what is a terrible but neglected disease," Dr Stinear said.

"The genome sequence will be a rich resource for the international community to address the key research priorities surrounding Buruli ulcer".

Dr Stinear said the "Analysis of the genome has given us an understanding into how the bacterium causes the disease and this is the first step in working out how to prevent it".

"We now know how M. ulcerans makes its toxin which opens up new avenues for the development of therapeutics to end its production and so stop the disease," he said.

The research has taken 6 years to complete and the results are published in the January edition of Genome Research.

In Australia, Buruli ulcer is more commonly referred to as Bairnsdale ulcer after the region in Victoria where the infection was first described and the bacterium isolated in the 1940s.