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Veterinary Research 2005Pathogens that are transmitted between the environment, wildlife, livestock and humans represent major challenges for the protection of human and domestic animal health,... (Review)
Review
Pathogens that are transmitted between the environment, wildlife, livestock and humans represent major challenges for the protection of human and domestic animal health, the economic sustainability of agriculture, and the conservation of wildlife. Among such pathogens, the genus Mycobacterium is well represented by M. bovis, the etiological agent of bovine tuberculosis, M. avium ssp. paratuberculosis (Map) the etiological agent of Johne disease, M. avium ssp. avium (Maa) and in a few common cases by other emergent environmental mycobacteria. Epidemiologic surveys performed in Europe, North America and New Zealand have demonstrated the existence and importance of environmental and wildlife reservoirs of mycobacterial infections that limit the attempts of disease control programmes. The aim of this review is to examine the zoonotic aspects of mycobacteria transmitted from the environment and wildlife. This work is focused on the species of two main groups of mycobacteria classified as important pathogens for humans and animals: first, M. bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, which belongs to the M. tuberculosis complex and has a broad host range including wildlife, captive wildlife, domestic livestock, non-human primates and humans; the second group examined, is the M. avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) which includes M. avium ssp. avium causing major health problems in AIDS patients and M. avium ssp. paratuberculosis the etiological agent of Johne disease in cattle and identified in patients with Crohn disease. MAC agents, in addition to a broad host range, are environmental mycobacteria found in numerous biotopes including the soil, water, aerosols, protozoa, deep litter and fresh tropical vegetation. This review examines the possible reservoirs of these pathogens in the environment and in wildlife, their role as sources of infection in humans and animals and their health impact on humans. The possibilities of control and management programmes for these mycobacterial infections are examined with regards to the importance of their natural reservoirs.
Topics: Animals; Disease Reservoirs; Humans; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Mycobacterium bovis; Phylogeny; Risk Factors; Tuberculosis; Zoonoses
PubMed: 15845232
DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2005001 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Apr 2007The past several years have witnessed an upsurge of genomic data pertaining to the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). Despite clear advances, problems with the detection... (Review)
Review
The past several years have witnessed an upsurge of genomic data pertaining to the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). Despite clear advances, problems with the detection of MAC persist, spanning the tests that can be used, samples required for their validation, and the use of appropriate nomenclature. Additionally, the amount of genomic variability documented to date greatly outstrips the functional understanding of epidemiologically different subsets of the organism. In this review, we discuss how postgenomic insights into the MAC have helped to clarify the relationships between MAC organisms, highlighting the distinction between environmental and pathogenic subsets of M. avium. We discuss the availability of various genetic targets for accurate classification of organisms and how these results provide a framework for future studies of MAC variability. The results of postgenomic M. avium study provide optimism that a functional understanding of these organisms will soon emerge, with genomically defined subsets that are epidemiologically distinct and possess different survival mechanisms for their various niches. Although the status quo has largely been to study different M. avium subsets in isolation, it is expected that attention to the similarities and differences between M. avium organisms will provide greater insight into their fundamental differences, including their propensity to cause disease.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Chaperonin 60; Chaperonins; DNA Transposable Elements; Genetic Variation; Genome, Bacterial; Genomics; Humans; Mycobacterium avium; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serotyping
PubMed: 17428883
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00036-06 -
Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases 2014Rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases, including mycobacterial disease such as tuberculosis (TB) and diseases due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), is... (Review)
Review
Rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases, including mycobacterial disease such as tuberculosis (TB) and diseases due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), is a very important element of global health. The gold standard in diagnosis of mycobacterial diseases remains clinical examination, combined with direct microscopic examination of sputum and culture of bacteria. Culture of slowly growing mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and NTM (such as M. avium complex: MAC), can take up to 4 to 6 weeks, and in 10-20% of cases the bacillus is not successfully cultivated. Diagnosis of MAC pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) is complicated and time-consuming (usually at least 1 month). I have characterized the nature of MAC antigens and immune responses from the aspect of basic mycobacteriology, and then translated to clinical science. My multicenter study in Japan has demonstrated the usefulness of a serodiagnostic test to determine serum IgA antibodies against mycobacterial glycopeptidolipid (GPL) core antigen for diagnosing MAC-PD within a few hours. To validate in a larger number of patients, at diverse geographic locations, and among other races, the test was also assessed the usefulness internationally in the United States and Taiwan. In this review, I discuss development of serodiagnosis of MAC-PD by translational research and international collaboration study.
Topics: Antibodies, Bacterial; Antigens, Bacterial; Clinical Medicine; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Japan; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Serologic Tests; Taiwan; Time Factors; Translational Research, Biomedical; United States
PubMed: 25241680
DOI: 10.7883/yoken.67.329 -
Central European Journal of Public... Mar 2022The aim of this study was to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, M. avium subsp. avium and M. intracellulare, Mycobacterium contamination and to explore the...
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, M. avium subsp. avium and M. intracellulare, Mycobacterium contamination and to explore the aerosol transmission of mycobacteria in public buildings in China.
METHODS
A total of 552 environmental samples, namely 165 aerosol, 199 water, 70 air duct dust, and 118 soil samples, were collected from 39 public buildings and analysed using nested polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS
The positivity rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, M. avium subsp. avium and M. intracellulare in air samples were 0.6% and 1.8%, respectively. There was significant difference in the positivity rate of Mycobacterium aerosol among the three types of public building (χ = 6.108, p = 0.047). No positive results of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and M. avium and M. intracellulare were obtained from cooling, tap, shower, or fountain water. The positivity rate of Mycobacterium for water samples was 31.7% (63/199). The positivity rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, M. avium subsp. avium and M. intracellulare, Mycobacterium in soil samples were 1.1%, 34.6% and 43.6%, respectively. There was significant difference in the positivity rate of M. avium and M. intracellulare (χ = 47.219, p < 0.001) and Mycobacterium (χ = 33.535, p < 0.001) in the different origins of soil samples.
CONCLUSIONS
Mycobacteria are widespread in public buildings. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, M. avium and M. intracellulare were simultaneously present in the air ducts of central air conditioning systems and indoor air in public buildings, which indicates that aerosol transmission is a potential route.
Topics: Aerosols; Humans; Mycobacterium; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Soil; Water
PubMed: 35421295
DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a5198 -
Pneumologie (Stuttgart, Germany) Aug 2019The recognition, correct diagnosis and adequate clinical management of infections caused by atypical mycobacteria are challenging tasks in clinical practice. Invasive... (Review)
Review
The recognition, correct diagnosis and adequate clinical management of infections caused by atypical mycobacteria are challenging tasks in clinical practice. Invasive infections caused by , a member of the complex, have been increasingly reported over the past few years. Most infections occurred in patients who had undergone open-chest cardiothoracic surgery. Epidemiological and molecular studies showed that transmission of occurred through intraoperative aerosols derived from contaminated heater-cooler units, i. e. devices that are used to enable the extracardiac circuit in cardiothoracic surgery. Thus far, approximately 120 patient cases have been reported worldwide. The latency between exposure and onset of clinical symptoms may comprise several years. Clinical manifestations of infections include not only endocarditis and implant-associated infections, but also non-cardiac entities such as sarcoidosis-like symptoms, vertebral osteomyelitis and chorioretinitis. The pathogen can be detected in blood culture vials and in surgically obtained specimens from affected tissues, if specific microbiological tests for detection of mycobacteria are employed. There are no simple-to-use screening tests and a high clinical index of suspicion is thus mandatory in patients with previous exposure and compatible signs and symptoms. The successful treatment of infections requires the removal of infected devices and prolonged combination therapy with antimycobacterial drugs. This review summarises the clinical relevance, epidemiology, symptomatology, diagnosis and treatment of infections caused by , with a specific focus on pneumological aspects.
Topics: Humans; Mycobacterium; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria
PubMed: 31075795
DOI: 10.1055/a-0872-8809 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022is the most common cause of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, with a rapidly growing prevalence worldwide. In this study, we performed comparative genomic...
is the most common cause of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, with a rapidly growing prevalence worldwide. In this study, we performed comparative genomic analysis and antimicrobial susceptibility characteristics analysis of 117 clinical strains in China. Phylogenetic analysis showed that clinical strains had high genetic diversity and were not related to the geographical area. Notably, most strains (76.07%, 89/117) belonged to (MP) and (MIP) in the genome, and we named them MP-MIP strains. These MP-MIP strains may be regarded as a causative agent of chronic lung disease. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that clarithromycin, amikacin, and rifabutin showed strong antimicrobial activity against both and MP-MIP strains . Our findings also showed that there was no clear correlation between the , and DNA gyrase genes ( and ) and the aminoglycosides, macrolides, and moxifloxacin resistance, respectively. In conclusion, this study highlights the high diversity of in the clinical setting and suggests paying great attention to the lung disease caused by MP-MIP.
Topics: Humans; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Phylogeny; Whole Genome Sequencing; China; Lung Diseases; Anti-Infective Agents
PubMed: 36466540
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.989587 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Dec 2015The historic suggestion that Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) might be a zoonotic pathogen was based on the apparent similarity of lesions in the... (Review)
Review
The historic suggestion that Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) might be a zoonotic pathogen was based on the apparent similarity of lesions in the intestine of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) with those present in cattle infected with Map, the etiological agent of Johne's disease. Reluctance to fully explore this possibility has been attributed to the difficulty in demonstrating the presence of Map in tissues from patients with CD. Advances in technology have resolved this problem and revealed the presence of Map in a significant proportion of patients with CD and other diseases. The seminal finding from recent investigations, however, is the detection of Map in healthy individuals with no clinical signs of disease. The latter observation indicates all humans are susceptible to infection with Map and lends support to the thesis that Map is zoonotic, with a latent stage of infection similar to tuberculosis, where infection leads to the development of an immune response that controls but does not eliminate the pathogen. This clarifies one of the reasons why it has been so difficult to document that Map is zoonotic and associated with the pathogenesis of CD and other diseases. As discussed in the present review, a better understanding of the immune response to Map is needed to determine how infection is usually kept under immune control during the latent stage of infection and elucidate the triggering events that lead to disease progression in the natural host and pathogenesis of CD and immune related diseases in humans.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Crohn Disease; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immune Evasion; Intestines; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Zoonoses
PubMed: 26730151
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i48.13411 -
The European Respiratory Journal Mar 1999
Review
Topics: Bacteriological Techniques; Forecasting; Humans; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 10232411
DOI: 10.1183/09031936.99.13347999 -
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics Mar 2001A number of theories regarding the aetiology of Crohn's disease have been proposed. Diet, infections, other unidentified environmental factors and immune disregulation,... (Review)
Review
A number of theories regarding the aetiology of Crohn's disease have been proposed. Diet, infections, other unidentified environmental factors and immune disregulation, all working under the influence of a genetic predisposition, have been viewed with suspicion. Many now believe that Crohn's disease is a syndrome caused by several aetiologies. The two leading theories are the infectious and autoimmune theories. The leading infectious candidate is Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis), the causative agent of Johne's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease in a variety of mammals including cattle, sheep, deer, bison, monkeys and chimpanzees. The evidence to support M. paratuberculosis infection as a cause of Crohn's disease is mounting rapidly. Technical advances have allowed the identification and/or isolation of M. paratuberculosis from a significantly higher proportion of Crohn's disease tissues than from controls. These methodologies include: (i) improved culture techniques; (ii) development of M. paratuberculosis-specific polymerase chain reaction assays; (iii) development of a novel in situ hybridization method; (iv) efficacy of macrolide and anti-mycobacterial drug therapies; and (v) discovery of Crohn's disease-specific seroreactivity against two specific M. paratuberculosis recombinant antigens. The causal role for M. paratuberculosis in Crohn's disease and correlation of infection with specific stratification(s) of the disorder need to be investigated. The data implicating Crohn's as an autoimmune disorder may be viewed in a manner that supports the mycobacterial theory. The mycobacterial theory and the autoimmune theory are complementary; the first deals with the aetiology of the disorder, the second deals with its pathogenesis. Combined therapies directed against a mycobacterial aetiology and inflammation may be the optimal treatment of the disease.
Topics: Animals; Antigens, Bacterial; Autoimmune Diseases; Crohn Disease; DNA, Bacterial; Food Contamination; Humans; In Situ Hybridization; Inflammation; Milk, Human; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 11207508
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.2001.00933.x -
International Archives of Allergy and... 2023Cervical scrofulous lymphadenitis due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) in immunocompetent adults is a rare disease. The presence of MAC infections demands meticulous...
INTRODUCTION
Cervical scrofulous lymphadenitis due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) in immunocompetent adults is a rare disease. The presence of MAC infections demands meticulous clinical evaluation of patients along with detailed phenotypic and functional evaluation of their immune system including next-generation sequencing (NGS) analyses of target genes.
METHODS
Exact clinical histories of the index patients both suffering from retromandibular/cervical scrofulous lymphadenitis were obtained along with phenotypic and functional immunological evaluations of leukocyte populations followed by targeted NGS-based sequencing of candidate genes.
RESULTS
Immunological investigations showed normal serum immunoglobulin and complement levels, but lymphopenia, which was caused by significantly reduced CD3+CD4+CD45RO+ memory T-cell and CD19+ B-cell numbers. Despite normal T-cell proliferation to a number of accessory cell-dependent and -independent stimuli, the PBMC of both patients elaborated clearly reduced levels of a number of cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-1α, IL-1β, and TNF-α upon TCR-dependent T-cell stimulation with CD3-coated beads but also superantigens. The IFN-γ production deficiency was confirmed for CD3+CD4+ helper and CD4+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells on the single-cell level by multiparametric flow cytometry irrespective of whether PMA/ionomycin-stimulated whole blood cells or gradient-purified PBMC was analyzed. In the female patient L1, targeted NGS-based sequencing revealed a homozygous c.110T>C mutation in the interferon-γ receptor type 1 (IFNGR1) leading to significantly reduced receptor expression on both CD14+ monocytes and CD3+ T cells. Patient S2 presented with normal IFNGR1 expression on CD14+ monocytes but significantly reduced IFNGR1 expression on CD3+ T cells, despite the absence of detectable homozygous mutations in the IFNGR1 itself or disease-related target genes. Exogenous addition of increasing doses of IFN-γ resulted in proper upregulation of high-affinity FcγRI (CD64) on monocytes from patient S2, whereas monocytes from patient L1 showed only partial induction of CD64 expression after incubation with high doses of IFN-γ.
CONCLUSION
A detailed phenotypic and functional immunological examination is urgently required to determine the cause of a clinically relevant immunodeficiency, despite detailed genetic analyses.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Female; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Cytokines; Lymphadenitis
PubMed: 37279717
DOI: 10.1159/000530844