ESAT-6 and CFP-10 in clinical versus environmental isolates of Mycobacterium kansasii.
Mycobacterium kansasii consists of 5 genetically distinct groups, of which 2 are associated with human disease. Determinants of the differences in virulence are unknown. Potential genes of interest are esat-6 and cfp-10, which are associated with virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis but are lacking in bacille Calmette-Guérin and in most environmental mycobacteria (M. kansasii is an exception). We investigated esat-6 and cfp-10 genes in 22 clinical and 14 environmental isolates of M. kansasii. Both were present in all isolates; each genetic group had its own characteristic Southern-blot pattern corresponding to a highly conserved fingerprint pattern. Nucleotide sequences of the genes differed 12.6% and 10.1%, respectively, from the M. tuberculosis homologues, but the deduced amino acid sequences were <5% different. In vitro, clinical and environmental genotypes of M. kansasii expressed CFP-10 and ESAT-6. Thus, virulence of M. kansasii is not directly related to esat-6 and cfp-10 genes or gene expression.
Arend
Sandra M
SM
Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. s.m.arend@lumc.nl
de Haas
Petra
P
Leyten
Eliane
E
Rosenkrands
Ida
I
Rigouts
Leen
L
Andersen
Peter
P
Mijs
Wouter
W
van Dissel
Jaap T
JT
van Soolingen
Dick
D
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000382:microbiology*; D019909:Mycobacterium kansasii / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009426:Netherlands; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014774:Virulence; D014871:Water Microbiology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C093276:ESAT-6 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis