A new agent of mycobacterial lymphadenitis in children: Mycobacterium heidelbergense sp. nov.
Nontuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis presents an increasing clinical problem in immunocompetent young children. A slowly growing, nonphotochromogenic mycobacterium was recovered twice (isolates 2553/91 and 2554/91) from the lymphatic tissue of a child with recurrent cervical lymphadenitis. It could be differentiated biochemically from described Mycobacterium species, although it most closely resembled Mycobacterium malmoense by thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography of mycolic acids. A striking characteristic of the isolate was its high degree of susceptibility to antituberculous drugs in vitro, including isoniazid. Direct determination of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed a unique sequence and positioned the strain phylogenetically on a branch separate from M. malmoense within a group of slowly growing mycobacteria that show a high degree of similarity to M. simiae at the 16S rRNA gene level. Despite 99.6% sequence identity with M. simiae at the 16S rRNA gene level, DNA-DNA hybridization studies (hydroxyapatite method) demonstrated DNA relatedness of less than 40%. We conclude that this organism is a new species for which we propose the name M. heidelbergense. A culture of the type strain, strain 2554/91, has been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection as strain ATCC 51253.
Haas
W H
WH
Department of General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Heidelberg University, Germany. ic1@ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de
Butler
W R
WR
Kirschner
P
P
Plikaytis
B B
BB
Coyle
M B
MB
Amthor
B
B
Steigerwalt
A G
AG
Brenner
D J
DJ
Salfinger
M
M
Crawford
J T
JT
Böttger
E C
EC
Bremer
H J
HJ
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008199:Lymphadenitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D009333:Neck; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D007538:Isoniazid