Tuberculosis in seals caused by a novel member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex: Mycobacterium pinnipedii sp. nov.

Abstract

A comparison of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from seals (pinnipeds) in Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, Great Britain and New Zealand was undertaken to determine their relationships to each other and their taxonomic position within the complex. Isolates from 30 cases of tuberculosis in six species of pinniped and seven related isolates were compared to representative and standard strains of the M. tuberculosis complex. The seal isolates could be distinguished from other members of the M. tuberculosis complex, including the recently defined 'Mycobacterium canettii ' and 'Mycobacterium caprae', on the basis of host preference and phenotypic and genetic tests. Pinnipeds appear to be the natural host for this 'seal bacillus', although the organism is also pathogenic in guinea pigs, rabbits, humans, Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and, possibly, cattle. Infection caused by the seal bacillus is predominantly associated with granulomatous lesions in the peripheral lymph nodes, lungs, pleura, spleen and peritoneum. Cases of disseminated disease have been found. As with other members of the M. tuberculosis complex, aerosols are the most likely route of transmission. The name Mycobacterium pinnipedii sp. nov. is proposed for this novel member of the M. tuberculosis complex (the type strain is 6482 T =ATCC BAA-688 T =NCTC 13288 T ).Abbreviations: BCG, Bacille Calmette-Gué rin; FAFLP, fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism; PZA, pyrazinamide; SS, seal spoligotype; TCH, thiophen-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide.

The Seal Tuberculosis Agent, Mycobacterium Pinnipedii, Infects Domestic Cattle in New Zealand: Epidemiologic Factors and Dna Strain Typing

“…Tuberculosis (TB) in the New Zealand fur seal is caused by Mycobacterium pinnipedii, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (Cousins et al 2003). Other members of this complex occasionally found in New Zealand are M. tuberculosis in humans and Mycobacterium bovis in cattle and wildlife.…”

Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: Modern Molecular Epidemiology and Perspectives

“…This chapter will focus particularly on the MTB species belonging to the MTBC.This complex is composed of seven different species, MTB (Koch, 1882), M. bovis (Karlsen and Lessel, 1970), M. africanum [25], M. microti (Reed, 1957),"M. canettii'' (still not officially recognized on the list of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature, http://www.bacterio. cict.fr), and recently, M. caprae [5] and M. pinnipedii [34]. Each member of MTBC is associated with a specific primary host, although infection is known to occur in various alternative hosts.…”

“…M. bovis is principally the agent of bovine TB, but this species can also be pathogenic for humans, with the number of cases related to such infection probably underestimated [6]. Furthermore, an attenuated strain of M. bovis, M. bovis BCG (Calmette and Guérin, 1921) is used as a vaccine for preventing human TB (see below for more details on BCG vaccine).The other species are also isolated specifically in animals, such as M. microti, which is the agent of rodent TB, M. caprae, which predominantly affects cattle, and M. pinnipedii, which has Pinnipeds as natural hosts.These latter species can affect other animal species and humans to a very limited extent [5,34]. The members of the MTBC, as well as all mycobacteria species, are rod-shaped bacteria (0.2-0.6 m wide, 1-10 m long), nonmotile, nonencapsulated, Grampositive, aerobes (growing most successfully in tissues with a high oxygen content such as lungs), or facultative anaerobes.…”

Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in cattle and lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis) at the slaughter house

“…These include M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. microti, M. bovis, M. caprae, and M. pinnipedii. [4][5][6] Some of these Mycobacterium species are major reemerging zoonotic agents of bovine TB, the prevalence of which depends on direct exposure to cattle and consumption of unpasteurized dairy products. 7,8 Furthermore, the interaction in the human-livestock-wildlife interphase areas of some wildlife animals like lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis), documented with M. bovis, have broadened the reservoir base for MTC.…”