N<b>ovel Cause of Tuberculosis in Meerkats, South Africa</b>

SUMMARY Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are present in the environment, mainly in water, and are occasionally responsible for opportunistic infections in humans. Despite the fact that NTM are characterized by a moderate pathogenicity, the diseases caused by NTM at various body sites are increasing on a worldwide level. Among over 150 officially recognized NTM species, only two or three dozen are familiar to clinicians, and even to most microbiologists. In this paper, approximately 50 new species described in the last 8 years are reviewed, and their role in human infections is assessed on the basis of reported clinical cases. The small number of reports concerning most of the “new” mycobacterial species is responsible for the widespread conviction that they are very rare. Their role is actually largely underestimated, mainly because they often remain unrecognized and misidentified. Aiming to minimize such bias, emphasis has been placed on more common identification pitfalls. Together with new NTM, new members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex described in the last few years are also an object of the present review.

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“…"M. suricattae" was described in 2013, based on three strains isolated from free-living meerkats (167).…”

Section: "Mycobacterium Suricattae"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological Features and Clinical Relevance of New Species of the Genus Mycobacterium

2014

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“…The Dassie bacillus has been mostly isolated from rock hyraxes in Southern Africa [12]. M. suricattae is mostly reported from meerkats [11] and has a unique genetic feature in that it lacks the direct repeat locus and hence has no spoligotype pattern [39]. Interestingly,…”

Section: Global Exposition Of Wildlife Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MTBC includes the typical human-adapted pathogens M. tuberculosis and M. africanum [5] and those members reported to cause TB in a range of animals which are M. bovis, M. caprae, M. pinnipedii, M. microti, M. orygis, M. suricattae, Dassie bacillus, M. mungi, and so-called the Chimpanzee bacillus (Figure 1) [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. M. bovis, the most studied animal TB pathogen, is now considered as an emerging pathogen of free-ranging wildlife and an emerging threat to several protected wildlife species [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife Tuberculosis: An Emerging Threat for Conservation in South Asia

Thapa¹,

Nakajima²,

Gairhe³

et al. 2017

Global Exposition of Wildlife Management

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Wildlife tuberculosis (TB) is becoming one of the emerging challenges for conservation globally. South Asian region is home to many endangered species like Asian elephants, rhinoceros, and Bengal tigers. Although it carries more than one-third of global burden of human TB, TB in livestock and wildlife has not been adequately studied. This chapter reviews the present knowledge and information about animal-adapted members of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and wildlife TB in South Asia. Recent studies of TB from different wild animals in Nepal and Bangladesh have found that M.orygis is an emerging threat of wildlife TB in the region. These studies have demonstrated wide diversity of M. orygis strains circulating in the region indicating its endemic distribution. M. orygis-associated TB was discovered from a free-ranging rhinoceros in Nepal and the finding could signify threat of TB in other wild animals, including a possibility of unknown maintenance host. Recent studies also revealed an emerging challenge caused by TB to elephants in different South Asian countries like Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka.Wildlife TB is becoming a conservation challenge in South Asia, but given the paucity of research in this area, it is overlooked and underexplored.

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“…Currently, the MTBC consists of 11 species of mycobacteria which, in addition to the Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine strain, are pathogens for humans and animals. The last described species of the MTBC − Mycobacterium suricatte, is the etiologic agent in meerkats (Suricata suricatta) [2]. In Poland, tuberculosis is primarily caused by bovine bacilli: Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae [3], as well as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human TB [5].…”

Section: Streszczeniementioning

confidence: 99%