title: Mycobacteria and disease in southern Africa.
abstract: The genus Mycobacterium consists of over 120 known species, some of which (e.g. M. bovis and M. tuberculosis) contribute extensively to the burden of infectious disease in humans and animals, whilst others are commonly found in the environment but may rarely if ever be disease-causing. This paper reviews the mycobacteria found in southern Africa, focussing on those in the M. tuberculosis complex as well as the non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), identifying those found in the area and including those causing disease in humans and animals, and outlines some recent reports describing the distribution and prevalence of the disease in Africa. Difficulties in diagnosis, host preference and reaction, immunology and transmission are discussed.
authors.affiliation: DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research/Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Botha
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Gey van Pittius
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: van Helden
mesh_terms: D000353:Africa, Southern; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: M. bovis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; NTM; southern Africa