title: Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium abscessus complex isolates in Ireland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Mycobacterium abscessus complex are the rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) most commonly causing lung disease, especially in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Ireland has the world's highest CF incidence. The molecular epidemiology of M. abscessus complex in Ireland is unreported.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed rpoB gene sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) on M. abscessus complex strains isolated from thirty-six patients in 2006-2012 (eighteen known CF patients).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-eight strains (78%) were M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, eight M. abscessus subsp. massiliense, none were M. abscessus subsp. bolletii. Sequence type 1 (ST1) and ST26 (M. abscessus subsp. abscessus) were commonest. Seven M. abscessus subsp. abscessus STs (25%) were novel (two with novel alleles). Seven M. abscessus subsp. massiliense STs were previously reported (88%), including two ST23, the globally successful clone. In 2012, of 552 CF patients screened, eleven were infected with M. abscessus complex strains (2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most prevalent M. abscessus subsp. abscessus and M. abscessus subsp. massiliense strains in Ireland belong to widely-distributed STs, but there is evidence of high M. abscessus subsp. abscessus diversity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Driscoll
authors.affiliation: EA 3647, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 2 avenue de la Source de la Biévre, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Konjek
authors.affiliation: EA 3647, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 2 avenue de la Source de la Biévre, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France; APHP Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Ile-de-France Ouest, Service de Microbiologie, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, 9 avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heym
authors.affiliation: Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory, St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fitzgibbon
authors.affiliation: Cork Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, University College Cork, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Plant
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ní Chróinín
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mullane
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lynch-Healy
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Corcoran
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schaffer
authors.affiliation: Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory, St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland; Department of Pathology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. Electronic address: m.prentice@ucc.ie.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Prentice
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology / Q000379:methods*; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Epidemiology; Ireland; MLST; Mycobacterium abscessus