Abstract
BackgroundMycobacterium avium is an environmental mycobacterium that can be divided into the subspecies avium, hominissuis, paratuberculosis and silvaticum. Some M. avium subspecies are opportunistic pathogens for animals and humans. They are ubiquitous in nature and can be isolated from natural sources of water, soil, plants and bedding material. Isolates of M. avium originating from humans (n = 37), pigs (n = 51) and wild birds (n = 10) in Norway were examined by IS1245 and IS1311 RFLP using new and specific probes and for the presence of IS901 and ISMpa1 by PCR. Analysis and generation of a dendrogram were performed with the software BioNumerics.ResultsIS1311 RFLP provided clear results that were easy to interpret, while IS1245 RFLP generated more complex patterns with a higher discriminatory power. The combination of the two methods gave additional discrimination between isolates. All avian isolates except one were M. avium subsp. avium with two copies of IS1311 and one copy of IS1245, while the isolates of human and porcine origin belonged to M. avium subsp.hominissuis. The isolates from human patients were distributed randomly among the clusters of porcine isolates. There were few identical isolates. However, one isolate from a human patient was identical to a porcine isolate. Regional differences were detected among the porcine isolates, while there was no clustering of human isolates according to type of clinical symptoms or geographical location of the patient's home addresses.ConclusionThe results demonstrate that a wide range of M. avium subsp.hominissuis are present in pigs and humans in Norway, and that some of these isolates are very similar. It remains to be determined whether humans are infected from pigs or if they are infected from common environmental sources.
Highlights
Mycobacterium avium is an environmental mycobacterium that can be divided into the subspecies avium, hominissuis, paratuberculosis and silvaticum
The results demonstrate that a wide range of M. avium subsp.hominissuis are present in pigs and humans in Norway, and that some of these isolates are very similar
It remains to be determined whether humans are infected from pigs or if they are infected from common environmental sources
Summary
Mycobacterium avium is an environmental mycobacterium that can be divided into the subspecies avium, hominissuis, paratuberculosis and silvaticum. Some M. avium subspecies are opportunistic pathogens for animals and humans. They are ubiquitous in nature and can be isolated from natural sources of water, soil, plants and bedding material. Avium and hominssuis are opportunistic pathogens for animals and humans [3,5] They can cause generalised tuberculosis in poultry and wild birds, while mammals, especially pigs, usually develop localised lesions limited to the lymph nodes of the digestive tract [5]. Lung infections were the most common manifestation of disease due to M. avium in humans. In Norway, about 100 people get infected with mycobacteria other than those of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex each year The majority of these are infected with M. avium [7]
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