title: Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis and its potential survival tactics.
abstract: Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (Map) is an important animal pathogen with a potential, but as yet unproven, role in human disease. This review briefly describes the characteristics of Map that distinguish it from other Mycobacterium spp., presenting new information arising from completion of the sequencing of the Map genome. It then focuses on the potential mechanisms Map might employ to survive and disseminate in the environment, including interaction with protozoa and insects, dormancy, biofilm formation and aerosolization.
authors.affiliation: Food Microbiology Branch, Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science Division, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland, Belfast, UK. michael.rowe@dardni.gov.uk
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Grant
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000818:Animals; D018441:Biofilms; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D007313:Insecta / Q000382:microbiology; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols