title: Proposal to elevate Mycobacterium avium complex ITS sequevar MAC-Q to Mycobacterium vulneris sp. nov.
abstract: The Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) consists of four recognized species, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium colombiense, Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium chimaera, and a variety of other strains that may be members of undescribed taxa. We report on two isolates of a scotochromogenic, slowly growing, non-tuberculous Mycobacterium species within the M. avium complex from a lymph node and an infected wound after a dogbite of separate patients in The Netherlands. The extrapulmonary infections in immunocompetent patients suggested a high level of virulence. These isolates were characterized by a unique nucleotide sequence in the 16S rRNA gene, 99% similar to Mycobacterium colombiense, and the MAC-Q 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence. Sequence analyses of the hsp65 gene revealed 97% similarity to M. avium. The rpoB gene sequence was 98% similar to M. colombiense. Phenotypically, the scotochromogenicity, positive semi-quantitative catalase and heat-stable catalase tests, negative tellurite reductase and urease tests and susceptibility to hydroxylamine and oleic acid set these isolates apart from related species. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of cell-wall mycolic acid content revealed a unique pattern, related to that of M. avium and M. colombiense. Together, these findings supported a separate species status within the Mycobacterium avium complex. We propose elevation of scotochromogenic M. avium complex strains sharing this 16S gene and MAC-Q ITS sequence to separate species status, for which the name Mycobacterium vulneris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NLA000700772T (=DSM 45247T=CIP 109859T).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. jakko.van.ingen@rivm.nl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Ingen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Boeree
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kösters
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wieland
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tortoli
authors.forename: P N R
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Dekhuijzen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Soolingen
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D019811:Hydroxylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D009171:Mycolic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014510:Urease / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D009171:Mycolic Acids; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D019811:Hydroxylamine; D019301:Oleic Acid; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D002374:Catalase; C056378:tellurite reductase; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C105078:RNA polymerase beta subunit; D014510:Urease