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Lesions due to Mycobacterium ulcerans infection may have more synonyms and eponyms than any other disease. New diseases are named for the person who discovered them, from the place from which they were first described or some major clinical feature. 'Buruli ulcer', the name by which the disease is most frequently known, is none of these. Classically, the disease presents as extensive, undermined ulcers, first described by Searls from Bairnsdale in southeastern Australia, names that gave the disease its two eponyms. A case is made for the term 'Buruli ulcer' to be dropped from the medical literature and the disease to be known as 'ulcerans disease' or simply 'ulcerans'.

Mycobacterium ulcerans infection or Buruli ulcer begins by a papule, nodule, blotch or oedema and develops into ulceration with complications which can lead to disabilities. Its prevalence is high in West Africa and in Côte d'Ivoire particularly. Until recently, only ulcerated forms were mostly observed, whereas nodular ones were unnoticed or did not draw patients' attention. From 1999 to 2002 we conducted a before-after survey in the endemic area of Zoukougbeu located in Daloa region, the central west part of Côte d'Ivoire in order to assess the potential impact of a screening and treatment strategy for nodular forms of Buruli ulcer on ulceration rate decrease. The survey used clinical criteria necessary to identify Buruli ulcer nodule which were defined according to a former study carried out in the same area in 1998. As result of our survey 781 Buruli ulcer cases were reported of which 34.7% were ulcerative forms, 61.1% were nodules and 4.2% were other forms (blotch and oedema). By comparing the data of 1999, when the prevention program started, to those of 2002, we observed a drop of 47.6% in the ulcerative lesions and an increase of 57.4% in nodule ones. These changes were statistically significant (p < 10-5). Annual trend, from 1999 to 2002, showed a decrease in the detection rate of the respective forms under study. It ranged from 25.8/10000 to 7.3/10000 for ulcerative lesions and from 23/10000 to 19.7/10000 for nodules. In spite of possible defects in the methodology of a before/after survey the incidence decrease of both ulcerative and nodular forms that coincided with the prevention program probably reflects the efficacy of the secondary prevention program that promotes early diagnosis and treatment of nodular forms of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection.