Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Aug 1997, 1959-1964, Vol 35, No. 8
F Alcaide, I Richter, C Bernasconi, B Springer, C Hagenau, R Schulze-Robbecke, E Tortoli, R Martin, EC Bottger and A Telenti
The reservoir and transmission route of Mycobacterium kansasii are largely
unknown. In addition, culturing of M. kansasii from human sources is not
proof of disease because it may represent colonization rather than
infection. Unfortunately, investigation of the epidemiology and
pathogenicity of M. kansasii is complicated by evidence of heterogeneity
within the species. A comprehensive study by detailed genotypic analysis of
a large collection of M. kansasii isolates (n = 276) from various
geographical sources within Europe was conducted. Five defined subtypes of
M. kansasii were identified; of these subtypes, type I represents the most
common isolate from humans. Although phylogenetic analysis confirmed its
relationship to the other M. kansasii types, significant sequence
divergence was found at the 16S- 23S intergenic spacer. Analysis of the
chromosomal polymorphism of type I demonstrated a marked clonal structure
for this particular organism. Because M. kansasii is becoming a significant
pathogen among immunodeficient hosts, future epidemiological and
pathogenicity studies should take into consideration both the heterogeneity
within the species and the apparent clonality of the most prevalent M.
kansasii isolates infecting humans.
Copyright © 1997 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Heterogeneity and clonality among isolates of Mycobacterium kansasii: implications for epidemiological and pathogenicity studies
Institut fur Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Universitat Bern, Switzerland.
This article has been cited by other articles:
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. |
|---|---|
| Clin. Vaccine Immunol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |
|---|