title: African 2, a clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis epidemiologically important in East Africa.
abstract: We have identified a clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis isolated at high frequency from cattle in Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. We have named this related group of M. bovis strains the African 2 (Af2) clonal complex of M. bovis. Af2 strains are defined by a specific chromosomal deletion (RDAf2) and can be identified by the absence of spacers 3 to 7 in their spoligotype patterns. Deletion analysis of M. bovis isolates from Algeria, Mali, Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, and Mozambique did not identify any strains of the Af2 clonal complex, suggesting that this clonal complex of M. bovis is localized in East Africa. The specific spoligotype pattern of the Af2 clonal complex was rarely identified among isolates from outside Africa, and the few isolates that were found and tested were intact at the RDAf2 locus. We conclude that the Af2 clonal complex is localized to cattle in East Africa. We found that strains of the Af2 clonal complex of M. bovis have, in general, four or more copies of the insertion sequence IS6110, in contrast to the majority of M. bovis strains isolated from cattle, which are thought to carry only one or a few copies.
authors.affiliation: VLA Weybridge, New Haw, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Garcia-Pelayo
authors.forename: Borna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hailu
authors.forename: Benon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asiimwe
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: M Beatrice
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Boniotti
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hilty
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rigouts
authors.forename: Rebuma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Firdessa
authors.forename: Adelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Custodia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mucavele
authors.forename: Bongo Nare Richard
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Ngandolo
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruchfeld
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boschiroli
authors.forename: Annélle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Naima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahraoui
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pacciarini
authors.forename: Simeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cadmus
authors.forename: Moses
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joloba
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Soolingen
authors.forename: Anita L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Djønne
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aranaz
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zinsstag
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Helden
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaels
authors.forename: Rudovick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kazwala
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Källenius
authors.forename: R Glyn
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Hewinson
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aseffa
authors.forename: Stephen V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Noel H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000351:Africa, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002417:Cattle; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D018628:Gene Dosage; D005838:Genotype; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial