Characterization of a Brucella sp. strain as a marine-mammal type despite isolation from a patient with spinal osteomyelitis in New Zealand.
Naturally acquired infection of humans with a marine mammal-associated Brucella sp. has only been reported once previously in a study describing infections of two patients from Peru. We report the isolation and characterization of a strain of Brucella from a New Zealand patient that appears most closely related to strains previously identified from marine mammals. The isolate was preliminarily identified as Brucella suis using conventional bacteriological tests in our laboratory. However, the results profile was not an exact match, and the isolate was forwarded to four international reference laboratories for further identification. The reference laboratories identified the isolate as either B. suis or B. melitensis by traditional bacteriological methods in three laboratories and by a molecular test in the fourth laboratory. Molecular characterization by PCR, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, and DNA sequencing of the bp26 gene; IS711; the omp genes omp25, omp31, omp2a, and omp2b; IRS-PCR fragments I, III, and IV; and five housekeeping gene fragments was conducted to resolve the discrepant identification of the isolate. The isolate was identified to be closely related to a Brucella sp. originating from a United States bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and common seals (Phoca vitulina).
McDonald
W L
WL
Investigation and Diagnostic Centre, Biosecurity New Zealand, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ward St., Wallaceville, New Zealand. wendy.mcdonald@maf.govt.nz
Jamaludin
R
R
Mackereth
G
G
Hansen
M
M
Humphrey
S
S
Short
P
P
Taylor
T
T
Swingler
J
J
Dawson
C E
CE
Whatmore
A M
AM
Stubberfield
E
E
Perrett
L L
LL
Simmons
G
G
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D050681:Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / Q000382:microbiology; D002002:Brucella / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009520:New Zealand; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D046049:Phoca / Q000382:microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial