Bovine Farcy Research Articles

Skin infection by Mycobacterium farcinogenes–senegalense group in an immunocompetent patient: a case report

BackgroundMycobacterium farcinogenes–senegalense group mostly cause bovine farcy, which rarely infect human beings. We reported one case of cutaneous Mycobacterium farcinogenes–senegalense group infection in an immunocompetent victim.Case presentationA 66-year-old Taiwanese woman with hypertension developed tender nodules on her left dorsal foot for 2 months. Tissue culture identified Mycobacterium farcinogenes–senegalense group. The lesion was treated successfully with clarithromycin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, followed by surgical excision.ConclusionsMycobacterium farcinogenes–senegalense group infection should be considered as a potential pathogen of skin infection in immunocompetent patients.

Complete Genome Sequences of Mycobacterium farcinogenes Strains Isolated from Clinical Specimens from Patients in Thailand.

ABSTRACTMycobacterium farcinogenes is a nonchromogenic, slowly growing mycobacterium that is responsible for bovine farcy. Here, we report two complete genome sequences of Mycobacterium farcinogenes strains isolated from skin and liver abscesses from patients in Thailand.

Mycobacterium farcinogenes and Mycobacterium senegalense as new environmental threats

Background: Mycobacterium farcinogenes and Mycobacterium senegalense are the causes of the bovine farcy, a chronic granulomatous disease of the skin of zebu cattle. The zoonotic potential of these bacteria is unclear. The high contamination rate of these bacteria (as species of nontuberculous mycobacteria) has been reported in environmental samples. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of these bacteria in the water and soil environment in four suburbs of Tehran, Iran. Methods: A total of 4014 soil and water samples were collected from four areas of Tehran including Robat Karim, Firuzkuh, Shahr-e-Ray, and Varamin. In each city, at least one sample was collected per 1002 m. The sediment samples were cultured on the Lowenstein–Jensen medium. Twice a week was observed to study the growth of colony, morphology, and pigmentation. Colonies were studied using phenotypic tests. Molecular analysis was also carried out on colonies. Results: Among samples, the number of collected water samples was 48.48% (1946/4014), and the number of soil samples was 51.51% (2068/4014). Results of cultures from collected samples showed that 21.47% (862/4014) of them were positive. Among the studied areas, Rabat Karim has been identified as the most polluted region (169/480; 35%). The abundance of M. farcinogenes has been dominant in Ray. The least infection has been reported in Varamin. Conclusion: The results showed that the prevalence of these two strains was very high in water and soil. Due to these two strains are the main and effective factors of bovine farcy in zebu cattle (the most farmed cows in Iran), surveillance of the zoning potential of this disease is very important.

Role of Amblyomma lepidum in the transmission of Mycobacterium farcinogenes, the causal agent of Bovine farcy

The present study was conducted to investigate the role of Amblyomma lepidum in the transmission of Mycobacterium farcinogenes, the causal agent of bovine farcy in Sudan. A total of 22 samples comprising of prescapular, submaxillary, mediastinal, parotid, retropharengeal and pulmonary lymph nodes, and subcutaneous nodules were collected for this study. M. farcinogenes was successfully isolated from the specimens by following traditional bacteriological techniques, and the bacteria were identified using standard biochemical assays, lipid analysis using Thin Layer Chromatography, and duplex Polymerase Chain Reaction. Larvae and nymphs of A. lepidum acquired M. farcinogenes from experimentally infected rabbits, and subsequently transmitted the infection to fresh rabbits within a maximum period of ten weeks. In contrast, adult A. lepidum failed to contract the organism from the infected rabbits; so, trans-ovarian transmission could be ruled out. In conclusion, this study confirmed the trans-stadial transmission of M. farcinogenes through larvae and nymphs of A. lepidum.

Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium farcinogenes NCTC 10955.

We report the draft genome sequence of Mycobacterium farcinogenes NCTC 10955 (=DSM 43637T), a nontuberculosis species responsible for bovine farcy. The strain described here is composed of 6,139,893 bp, with a G+C content of 65.73%, and contains 5,816 protein-coding genes and 76 RNA genes.

Molecular identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from pyogenic bovine tissues in South Darfur State and Alsabalouga slaughterhouse at Omdurman area, Sudan

This study identified nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) recovered from bovine pyogenic affections obtained at necropsy using the molecular target 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer region. Postmortem inspection of cattle was conducted at South Darfur State abattoirs and Alsabalouga Slaughterhouse at Omdurman area during 2007-2009. Specimens were examined for the presence of acid fast bacteria (AFB) using microscopic and standard culturing techniques. AFB were identified phenotypically and confirmed by 16S-23S rDNA ITS. Fifty nine NTM were recovered and confirmed as acid fast filaments out of 165 positive AFB specimens, of which 52 isolates were identified as bovine farcy causative agents, while 7 cultures were excluded due to drying. 16S-23S rDNA ITS of NTM revealed three different amplicons 500 bp. (32) isolates, 550 bp. (2) isolates and 600 bp. (14) isolates. Four isolates were contaminated.

Current Perspectives on Mycobacterium farcinogenes and Mycobacterium senegalense, the Causal Agents of Bovine Farcy.

Mycobacterium farcinogenes and M. senegalense are the causal agents of bovine farcy, a chronic, progressive disease of the skin and lymphatics of zebu cattle. The disease, which is prevalent mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, was in earlier times thought to be caused by Nocardia farcinica and can be described as one of the neglected diseases in cattle. Some aspects of the disease have been investigated during the last five decades but the major development had been in the bacteriological, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic aspects. Molecular analyses confirmed that M. farcinogenes and M. senegalense fall in a subclade together with M. houstonense and M. fortuitum. This subclade is closely related to the one accommodating M. peregrinum, M. porcinum, M. septicum, M. neworleansense, and M. alvei. DNA probes were designed from 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer and could be used for the rapid diagnosis of bovine farcy. An ELISA assay has been evaluated for the serodiagnosis of the disease. The zoonotic potentials of M. farcinogenes and M. senegalense are unknown; few studies reported the isolation of M. senegalense and M. farcinogenes from human clinical sources but not from environmental sources or from other domestic or wild animals.

Bovine tuberculosis in South Darfur State, Sudan: an abattoir study based on microscopy and molecular detection methods

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a widespread zoonosis in developing countries but has received little attention in many sub-Saharan African countries including Sudan and particularly in some parts such as Darfur states. This study aimed to detect bovine tuberculosis among caseous materials of cattle slaughtered in abattoirs in South Darfur State, Sudan by using microscopic and PCR-based methods. The study was a cross-sectional abattoir-based study which examined a total of 6,680 bovine carcasses for caseous lesions in South Darfur State between 2007 and 2009. Collected specimens were examined for the presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) by using microscopic and culture techniques. Isolated mycobacteria were identified by selected conventional cultural and biochemical tests in comparison to a single tube multiplex PCR (m-PCR) assay which detect Mycobacterium bovis-specific 168-bp amplicons. Of the total 6,680 slaughtered cattle examined in South Darfur, 400 (6 %) showed caseations restricted to lymph nodes (86.8 %) or generalized (13.2 %). Bovine tuberculosis was diagnosed in 12 (0.18 %), bovine farcy in 59 (0.88 %), unidentified mycobacteria in 6 (0.09 %), and missed or contaminated cultures in 7 (0.1 %). Out of 18 cultures with nonbranching acid-fast rods, 12 amplified unique 168-bp sequence specific for M. bovis and subsequently confirmed as M. bovis. With the exception of the reference M. tuberculosis strains, none of the remaining AFB amplified the 337-bp amplicon specific for M. tuberculosis. It could be concluded that bovine tuberculosis is prevalent among cattle in South Darfur representing 4.5 % from all slaughtered cattle with caseous lesions. The study sustains microscopy as a useful and accessible technique for detecting AFB. m-PCR assay proved to be valuable for confirmation of BTB and its differentiation from other related mycobacteriosis, notably bovine farcy.

Evaluation of ELISA in the serodiagnosis of bovine farcy

Mycobacterium farcinogenes is the causal agent of bovine farcy, a chronic infectious disease of zebu cattle in some parts of tropical Africa. Whole cell homologous antigen of M. farcinogenes was used in the standardization and evaluation of an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of circulating antibodies against bovine farcy using sera from confirmed bovine farcy and from bovine farcy-free cattle. The cut-off optical density (OD) value was decided at 1.8 using filter 405 nm after one hour of incubation at 37 degrees C. Accordingly, 115 out of 124 (92.7%) serum samples from clinically proven bovine farcy cattle were reported sero-positive. Sera from cattle infected with M. avium and M. paratuberculosis revealed OD value <1.8, indicating the differential diagnostic ability of M. farcinogenes antigen. Our test sensitivity was 92.7% and specificity was 97%, therefore could be routinely employed to support early clinical diagnosis, epidemiological surveys and for screening animals before exportation to farcy-free regions.

Catheter-associated bacteremia by Mycobacterium senegalense in Korea

BackgroundRapidly growing mycobacteria is recognized as one of the causative agents of catheter-related infections, especially in immunocompromised hosts. To date, however, Mycobacterium senegalense, which was known as the principal pathogen of bovine farcy, has not been reported in human infection.Case presentationWe describe the first case of human infection by M. senegalense, which has caused catheter-related bloodstream infection in a cancer patient in Korea. The microorganism was identified by the 16S rRNA gene, rpoB, and 16S-23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analyses.ConclusionOur first report of catheter-associated bacteremia caused by M. senegalense suggests the zoonotic nature of this species and indicates the expansion of mycobacterial species relating to human infection. M. senegalense should be considered as one of the causes of human infections in the clinical practice.

Serotaxonomic Analysis of Glycolipids from Mycobacterium chelonae- M. fortuitum Complex and Bovine Farcy Strains

The antigenicity and cross-reactivity of glycolipids from strains of bovine farcy and the Mycobacterium chelonae-M. fortuitum complex were analyzed using the ELISA technique. Purified alkali-stable glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) with a characteristic dimethylrhamnosyl sugar unit extracted from M. abscessus, M. chelonae, M. peregrinum and M. senegalense, gave very strong reactions with sera against members of the same four species. Particularly strong cross-reactions were evident between M. peregrinum and M. senegalense. These GPLs reacted more weakly with antisera against the other mycobacteria tested, though clear reactions were noticed with M. farcinogenes and M. fortuitum and also with M. bovis BCG, M. phlei, and M. tuberculosis strains. Alkali-labile diacyl trehalose (DAT) and triacyl trehalose (TAT) from M. fortuitum reacted with homologous sera, and with that against M. tuberculosis. Traces of uncharacterized acyl trehaloses isolated from two strains of M. farcinogenes gave comparatively weak reactions. Mycobacteria labeled M. farcinogenes and M. senegalense produced glucosylated trehalose-based glycolipids (GTs) and the studies showed that the major type was antigenic. These glycolipids cross-reacted strongly with M. senegalense NCTC 4524 but not with the type strain of M. senegalense. On the basis of the chemical patterns and the antigenicity of the GPLs it is evident that M. peregrinum and M. senegalense are particularly closely related and these species show a very close affinity to M. abscessus-M. chelonae.

Isolement de souches de mycobactéries pathogènes chez des bovins abattus à l'abattoir de Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

The major cause of meat rejection at the slaughterhouse of Bobo-Dioulasso is bovine tuberculosis. The objective of this work was to confirm the postmortem diagnosis pronounced at the slaughterhouse using laboratory methods (direct examination following Ziehl-Hielsen staining and isolation of Mycobacterium strains following culture in a Loewenstein-Jensen medium. During the study, 39 pathogenic Mycobacterium strains (38 Mycobacterium bovis and 1 Mycobacterium tuberculosis) out of 100 sampled out suspicious strains, were studied. No Mycobacteria typical of M. farcinogenes was found on direct examination. We were then able to differentiate between bovine tuberculosis and bovine farcy. The results confirm the well-founded decision in the slaughterhouse to discard the meat on the grounds of tuberculosis. The majority of cattle is located in villages around Bobo-Dioulasso and its is therefore highly likely that the disease is enzootic in the area with a fairly high level of infection in animals.

Bovine farcy: A clinico-pathological study of the disease and its aetiological agent

An extensive survey for bovine farcy covering 14,192 animals was conducted in the Sudan. The incidence of the disease was 31.9 per cent in Western Sudan which is regarded as an endemic area. Animals were examined clinically and at post-mortem. The lesions involved the prescapular, femoral, parotid, retropharyngeal, submaxillary, inguinal and mediastinal lymph nodes. Some animals had farcy lesions in the udder and some developed the pulmonary form of the disease. The disease is slow, but progressive in nature and was more prevalent among adult cattle than calves. Mycobacterium farcinogenes was found to be the cause of bovine farcy in the Sudan. The morphological and biochemical characteristics, and the mycolic acid content of the isolated strains were found to be identical to the reference strains of M. farcinogenes and were quite different from reference strains of Nocardia farcinica from which they were easily distinguished by the presence of alpha-mycolate, alpha'-mycolate and epoxymycolate in M. farcinogenes. Hydrolysis of mycolic acids with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and the precipitation with toluene and acetonitrile gave good results comparable with acid methonalysis and alkaline hydrolysis. Precipitin lines were detected in the sera of some farcy-infected cattle. Histopathological examination of farcy lesions revealed a severe granulomatous reaction characterized by lymphocyte, macrophage, epithelioid and giant cell infiltration as well as marked fibrous proliferation. These changes were indicative of a progressive disease of the delayed tuberculin hypersensitivity type.

Concurrent infection with Mycobacterium farcinogenes and Actinobacillus lignièresi in slaughtered cattle

Concurrent infection with Actinobacillus lignieressi and Mycobacterium farcinogenes was detected in slaughtered cattle. The lesions were confined to the retropharyngeal, mandibular and parotid lymph nodes. The actinobacillus granulomas were seen either inside the caseous lesions or between the caseous part and the epithelioid zone of bovine farcy granuloma. In concomitant infections, actinobacillosis was always in the early active phase, whereas in actinobacillosis alone, active as well as healed stages were encountered.

On the aetiology of bovine farcy in the Sudan.

Fifteen strains of the agent of bovine farcy were isolated from lymph nodes of affected cattle. Quantitative analyses of mycolic acids revealed values that allowed the assignment of these strains to the genus Mycobacterium. The organisms bore a greater resemblance to Mycobacterium farcinogenes than to Mycobacterium senegalense.

Identification of actinomycetes isolated from cases of bovine farcy in the Sudan

Thirteen isolates from the lymph nodes of cattle with bovine farcy were examined for biochemical and physiological properties known to differentiate Mycobacterium farcinogenes, Mycobacterium senegalense and Nocardia farcinica. Comparative immunodiffusion studies were performed on all of the test strains, and whole-organism methanolysates from a single representative strain were examined by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. The results of the biochemical, chemical, physiological and serological studies were all consistent with the assignment of the test strains to the genus Mycobacterium as Mycobacterium farcinogenes. The present study together with earlier ones support the hypothesis that M. farcinogenes and M. senegalense, but not N. farcinica, are the principal agents of bovine farcy.

Clinical and clinical laboratory aspects of nocardial infection.

It is nearly 100 years since Noeard described bovine farcy, a granulomatous disease of cattle characterized by abscesses, sinus tracts and pulmonary disease (Nocard, 1888). This was the first disease due toNocardiaspecies described. Since that time our knowledge of the role of the nocardiae in human veterinary diseases, of the epidemiology of these diseases, and their diagnosis and treatment, has enlarged rapidly. This paper attempts to give an overview of our current understanding of these diseases.

Numerical classification of Mycobacterium farcinogenes, Mycobacterium senegalense and related taxa.

Sixteen strains designated Mycobacterium farcinogenes, fifteen Mycobacterium senegalense, and ten Nocardia farcinica were, together with strains of Mycobacterium and Nocardia, subjected to numerical phenetic analyses using 96 unit characters. The data were examined using the simple matching (SSM), Jaccard (SJ) and pattern (DP) coefficients and clustering achieved using the unweighted average linkage algorithm. Cluster composition was not markedly affected by the coefficient used or by test error, estimated at 2.5%. The N. farcinica strains formed a distinct and homogeneous cluster in an aggregate taxon corresponding to the genus Nocardia. The M. farcinogenes and M. senegalense strains were recovered in well-defined and homogeneous phena within the genus Mycobacterium. Mycobacterium senegalense consistently showed a high overall similarity with clusters equated with M. chelonei and M. fortuitum, while the M. farcinogenes cluster was not closely associated with any of the mycobacterial clusters. The results are discussed in the light of other developments in the taxonomy of the bovine farcy bacteria.

Characterisation of Nocardia farcinica isolated from cattle with bovine farcy

Twenty-one strains of Nocardia farcinica isolated from cattle with bovine farcy in the Sudan were examined to determine their taxonomic relationships. The strains had morphological, cultural and physiological properties of Nocardia, but exhibited some variations of minor taxonomic importance. All strains contained lipids characteristic of nocardiae (LCN-As) and all except two were found by immunodiffusion tests to be serologically related to each other, to N asteroides but not to Mycobacterium tuberculosis nor M bovis. Consequently, these organisms were regarded as true members of the genus Nocardia.

Miliary Bovine Farcy Experimentally Induced in a Zebu Calf

A 2-year-old Zebu calf was inoculated intravenously with a suspension of Mycobacterium farcinogenes [I] (formerly Nocardia farcinica) isolated from a cow in the Nuba Mountain region of the Sudan. The suspension was subcultured several times on Lowenstein-Jensen medium and was prepared by washing the growth of about six colonies into a McCartney bottle with 10 milliliters of normal saline. The calf had no rise in temperature nor other clinical signs until 60 days after inoculation when it started to lose condition. On the 80th day it began to have respiratory distress and abdominal respiration. It died the 84th day. Lesions were confined to the lungs which were studded with evenly distributed nodules about 2 millimeters in diameter (fig. I). No lymph nodes were affected. The caseous material in the nodules was white-grey, difficult to emulsify in water and had no calcium deposits. Smears stained with modified Ziehl-Neelsen had acidfast filamentous organisms indistinguishable microscopically from M. farcinogenes. The organism was recovered on Lowenstein-Jensen medium after 10 days incubation at 37'C. Colonies were large, 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter, with convoluted surface. We were unable to trace a similar finding of miliary farcy in either natural or experimentally infected bovine animals.