Control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by
Mycobacterium bovis
, in the Republic of Ireland costs €84 million each year. Badgers are recognized as being a wildlife source for
M. bovis
infection of cattle. Deer are thought to act as spillover hosts for infection; however, population density is recognized as an important driver in shifting their epidemiological role, and deer populations across the country have been increasing in density and range. County Wicklow represents one specific area in the Republic of Ireland with a high density of deer that has had consistently high bTB prevalence for over a decade, despite control operations in both cattle and badgers. Our research used whole-genome sequencing of
M. bovis
sourced from infected cattle, deer and badgers in County Wicklow to evaluate whether the epidemiological role of deer could have shifted from spillover host to source. Our analyses reveal that cattle and deer share highly similar
M. bovis
strains, suggesting that transmission between these species is occurring in the area. In addition, the high level of diversity observed in the sampled deer population suggests deer may be acting as a source of infection for local cattle populations. These findings have important implications for the control and ultimate eradication of bTB in Ireland.
The classification of organisms in the genus Brucella recognizes three species. Huddleson (1957) expanded this classification by subgrouping the species into types in order to accommodate taxonomically the increased number of organisms reported to be atypical of a species
DNA probes are described which identify group and fingerprint strains of the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori, on the basis of well-defined band homologies. A 544 bp internal fragment of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers derived from the Escherichia coli rRNA gene sequence. In genomic Southern blots this probe detected restriction site variation around these loci, generating simple but strain-specific molecular fingerprints. A small conserved chromosomal fragment of 1.2 kbp, Hps, species-specific for H. pylori, was obtained by cloning random HindIII fragments into pUC19. It was useful for dot-blot identification, and also separated isolates into one major and two minor groups. When results for these two probes were combined, a baseline characterization of genotype was obtained. A band-matching database of molecular fingerprints for the type strain and 63 clinical isolates of H. pylori from asymptomatic, ulcer and gastritis contexts is presented. No significant association between the genotypes at this level of definition and the associated clinical symptomatology of the isolates was detected.
Stoenner and Lackman (1957) isolated an organism from the wood rat Neotoma lepida and, on the basis of its behavior on differential dye media, CO2 requirements, and H2S production, regarded it as a new species of Brucella, for which they proposed the name Brucella neotomae. Although recognition of a new species may be justified on the basis of these conventional techniques, it was considered advisable to investigate the oxidative metabolic pattern of the proposed new species on substrates of amino acids, carbohydrates, and intermediates in the Kreb's cycle. Meyer and Cameron (1958) have reported that each of the three recognized species display metabolic patterns that would aid in defining the species. Cultures of the proposed new species were obtained from Dr. Stoenner and subjected to manometric studies to determine if the oxidative pattern differed significantly from those exhibited by the three recognized species.
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