Mycetomas in Mali: causative agents and geographic distribution.

Although Mali is situated in the African zone endemic for mycetomas, no report has been published on the characteristics of the disease in this country. We report a series of 54 cases observed in Bamako. The causative agents were Madurella mycetomatis in 20 patients, Leptosphaeria sp. in one patients, Actinomadura madurae in 12 patients, A. pelletieri in 15 patients, and Streptomyces somaliensis in three patients. In this series, the observed geographic distribution of the causative agents was in agreement with data on the causative agents and their geographic distribution in neighboring countries, and with those suggesting a relationship between the type of infectious agent and the annual rainfall.