About the Authors

Gisela Bretzel

bretzel@lrz.uni-muenchen.de

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Kristina Lydia Huber

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Basil Kobara

Affiliation Programme National de Lutte contre L'Ulcère de Buruli – Lèpre et Pian (PNLUB-LP), Lomé, Togo

Marcus Beissner

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Ebekalisai Piten

Affiliation Centre Hospitalier Régionale Tsévié (CHR), Tsévié, Togo

Karl-Heinz Herbinger

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Franz Xaver Wiedemann

Affiliation German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association (DAHW), Togo Office, Lomé, Togo

Komi Amekuse

Affiliation German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association (DAHW), Togo Office, Lomé, Togo

Abiba Banla Kere

Affiliation Institut National d'Hygiène (INH), Lomé, Togo

Kerstin Helfrich

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Erna Fleischmann

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Thomas Löscher

Affiliation Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany

Adolf Diefenhardt

Affiliation German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association (DAHW), Würzburg, Germany

Jörg Nitschke

Affiliation German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association (DAHW), Würzburg, Germany

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: GB KLH BK MB FXW AD TL JN. Performed the experiments: KLH EP KH EF JN. Analyzed the data: GB KLH MB EP K-HH KA AB-K KH JN. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: GB KB K-HH FXW AB-K AD TL. Wrote the paper: GB KLH MB K-HH JN. Planning and realization of training workshops for CLTs and health staff in Togo: GB KLH BK EP FXW KA AB-K AD JN. Planning and realization of outreach activities for case finding in Togo: KLH BK EP FXW KA AB-K AD JN. Critical review of manuscript: K-HH TL.