Abstract
Mycobacterium iranicum is a newly reported mycobacterial species. We present the first comparative study of M. iranicum UM_TJL and other mycobacteria. We found M. iranicum to have a close genetic association with environmental mycobacteria infrequently associated with human infections. Nonetheless, UM_TJL is also equipped with many virulence genes (some of which appear to be the consequence of transduction-related gene transfer) that have been identified in established human pathogens. Taken all together, our data suggest that M. iranicum is an environmental bacterium adapted for pathogenicity in the human host. This comparative study provides important clues and forms the basis for future functional studies on this mycobacterium.
Highlights
Mycobacterium iranicum is a newly reported mycobacterial species
The results showed Amino Acid Identity (AAI) values ranging from approximately 64% to 79% (Figure 3), with M. gilvum (78.66%) being the closest neighbor of UM_TJL, followed by M. vanbaalenii (77.94%) and M. vaccae (76.84%)
An interesting observation from this study is that, M. iranicum strains reported in literature so far have all been recovered from human clinical specimens, our AAI and core gene analyses show UM_TJL to be genetically more closely related to saprophytic species and occasional opportunistic pathogens of low virulence
Summary
Mycobacterium iranicum is a newly reported mycobacterial species. We present the first comparative study of M. iranicum UM_TJL and other mycobacteria. The nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been long considered as environmental organisms with low virulence that are only occasionally associated with infections, mostly in immunocompromised hosts This perception, has been challenged in the last few decades, as advancements in medical diagnostics led to the recognition of increasing numbers of NTM species associated with human pathology[1,2]. In 2013, we published the draft genome of M. iranicum strain UM_TJL (hitherto referred to as UM_TJL), an isolate from the sputum of a Malaysian patient with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis complicating his underlying diabetes mellitus and ischaemic heart disease[8] He was treated with ceftriaxone for a week and appeared to have responded with clinical improvement and a change in the smear microscopy from acid-fast bacillus positive to acid-fast bacillus negative. We looked for putative virulence determinants and evidence of horizontal transfer of genetic material from other microbial sources
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