title: Novel Mycobacterium avium Complex Species Isolated From Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) in South Africa.
abstract: A study was undertaken to isolate and characterize Mycobacterium species from black wildebeest suspected of being infected with tuberculosis in South Africa. This led to the discovery of a new Mycobacterium avium complex species, provisionally referred to as the Gnou isolate from black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou). Sixteen samples from nine black wildebeest were processed for Mycobacterium isolation. Following decontamination, samples were incubated in an ordinary incubator at 37°C on Löwenstein-Jensen slants and in liquid medium tubes using the BACTEC™MGIT™960 system, respectively. Identification of the isolate was carried out by standard biochemical tests and using the line probe assay from the GenoType®CM/AS kit (Hain Lifescience GmbH, Nehren, Germany). The DNA extract was also analysed using gene sequencing. Partial gene sequencing and analysis of 16S rRNA gene, and 16S-23S rRNA (ITS), rpoB and hsp65 and phylogenetic analyses by searching GenBank using the BLAST algorithm were conducted. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using four methods, namely Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and neighbour-joining methods. The isolate was identified as Mycobacterium intracellulare using the GenoType®CM/AS kit and as Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) by gene sequencing. The gene sequence targeting all the genes, ITS, 16S rRNA, rpoB and hsp65 and phylogenetic analyses indicated that this isolate presented a nucleotide sequence different from all currently published sequences, and its position was far enough from other MAC species to suggest that it might be a new species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa.|Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Kabongo-Kayoka
authors.affiliation: Division of Academic Affairs, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Obi
authors.affiliation: Division of Bioresources, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Division of Bioresources, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Eloff
authors.affiliation: Inqaba Biotechnical Industries (Pty) Ltd, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.|National Health Laboratory Service, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mbelle
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: McGaw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000866:Antelopes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: 
  M. intracellulare
  ; Mycobacterium avium complex; black wildebeest; non-tuberculous mycobacterium; phylogenetic analyses