Multisystemic bovine mycobacteriosis in a pony with neurological signs and weight loss

This report describes the clinical, biochemical and histopathological findings of a case of disseminated, primary mycobacterial infection with Mycobacterium bovis in a pony presenting with neurological signs and weight loss. This report revisits tuberculosis as a potential differential diagnosis in horses at a time of relatively strong tuberculosis control in the UK and iterates the importance of post‐mortem examination as a diagnostic tool for clinicians. Key public health questions following exposure to mycobacterial pathogens are also discussed.     

Characterization of tuberculous granulomas in different stages of progression and associated tertiary lymphoid tissue in goats experimentally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis

Oral infection of goats with Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) resulted in a large variety of granulomas in organized gut-associated lymphatic tissues and intestinal lymph nodes. To characterize the cellular composition of granulomas, CD4⁺, CD8⁺, γδ, B lymphocytes and plasma, CD25⁺, CD68⁺, MHC-II⁺, Ki67⁺ and endothelial cells were labeled in consecutive frozen sections by immunohistochemistry and acid fast bacilli (AFB) by Kinyoun stain. Granulomas with extensive necrosis, little mineralization and variable numbers of AFB surrounded by many CD4⁺ T cells, but only few epitheloid macrophages were observed in severely sick goats at 2–3 mpi. They were interpreted as exuberant immune reaction. Organized granulomas with very few AFB were seen in clinically healthy goats at 13 mpi. The necrotic cores were surrounded by a zone of granulomatous infiltrate with many epitheloid macrophages and few lymphocytes. This zone was initially wide and highly vascularized and became progressively smaller. It was enclosed by an increasing layer of connective tissue. All organized granulomas were surrounded by compartimentalized tertiary lymphoid tissue. The granulomas in experimental infection of goats with MAH reflect the heterogeneity of lesions seen in mycobacterial infections of humans and ruminants and are therefore valuable for comparative research.     

Morphology and distribution of granulomatous inflammation in freshwater ornamental fish infected with mycobacteria

Mycobacteriosis in fish is a chronic progressive ubiquitous disease caused by Mycobacterium marinum, M. gordonae and M. fortuitum in most cases. The aim of this study was to describe the morphology and distribution of lesions in 322 freshwater ornamental fish across 36 species. Granulomatous inflammation was diagnosed by gross examination and histopathology testing in 188 fish (58.4%); acid‐fast rods (AFR) were determined in only 96 (51.1%) fish from 19 species after Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The most often affected organs with AFR were the kidney (81.2%), digestive tract (54.1%), liver (48.2%), spleen (45.9%) and skin (21.2%); sporadically, AFR were found in the branchiae (9.4%) and gonads (4.7%). In 14 randomly selected fish originating from four different fish tanks, the distribution of mycobacterial infection was studied by culture examination of the skin, gills, muscle tissue, digestive tract, liver, spleen and kidney. In 12 fish, the species M. marinum, M. gordonae, M. fortuitum, M. triviale, and M. avium subsp. hominissuis (serotypes 6 and 8 and genotype IS901? and IS1245+) were detected; mixed infection caused by different mycobacterial species was documented in five of them.     

3株猪源非结核分支杆菌16S rRNA基因序列分析

用PCR方法从3株猪源非结核分支杆菌中扩增16 S rRNA基因5′端片段并进行序列测定。用DNA分析软件将所获得的序列与GenBank中分支杆菌序列相比较,计算种间相似性,构建系统进化树,对菌株进行分类与鉴定。结果表明,3株猪源非结核分支杆菌中浅黄分支杆菌1株,偶发分支杆菌2株。非结核分支杆菌在猪中存在的现象应引起重视,对人畜的影响应进一步研究,以便采取有效的防控措施,保护人类及畜群的健康。     

Mycobacterium fortuitum abortion in a sow

Two aborted Chester White pig fetuses were presented to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Illinois. Postmortem examination identified no gross abnormalities. Histologic evaluation revealed multifocal necrosis of chorionic epithelial cells, coalescing areas of mineralization in the placenta, and focal accumulations of viable and degenerate neutrophils in the lung. Intra- and extracellular acid-fast bacilli were identified in the lesions in both the placenta and lungs. Bacterial culture of stomach contents yielded heavy growth of Mycobacterium fortuitum, a rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM), which was further confirmed through whole-genome sequencing. NTM are opportunistic pathogens commonly found in the soil and in contaminated water supplies. In animals, M. fortuitum is typically introduced through cutaneous wounds leading to infections limited to the skin, with systemic infection being uncommon. To our knowledge, abortion caused by M. fortuitum has not been reported previously.     

14株非结核分枝杆菌16S rRNA基因序列分析

为了对非结核分枝杆菌菌株进行分类与鉴定,试验采用PCR方法从14株非结核分枝杆菌中扩增16S rDNA基因5'端片段,并对所得DNA基因片段进行测序;同时用DNAMan软件对所获得的序列与GenBank中分枝杆菌序列进行比较,计算种间相似性,构建系统发育树。结果表明:14株非结核分枝杆菌中有浅黄分枝杆菌2株、偶发分枝杆菌3株、母牛分枝杆菌2株、新金色分枝杆菌4株,另有3株分别与Mycobacterium sp.Myc399、新金色分枝杆菌与偶发分枝杆菌有较好的亲缘关系。     

Health Status of Ornamental Freshwater Fishes Imported to South Africa: A Pilot Study

Keeping fish is a popular pastime in South Africa and the majority of ornamental fish are imported. A pilot study was initiated to examine the health status of ornamental freshwater fishes imported to South Africa. Four groups of thirty fish each were examined for the presence of external parasites, and processed for virus isolation and for bacterial and mycobacterial culture. The groups consisted of goldfish (Carassius auratus), koi (Cyprinus carpio), guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and cardinal tetras (Cheirodon axelrodi). Mycobacterium fortuitum was isolated from the goldfish and koi. No other significant bacteria were isolated and virus culture was negative for all groups. Skin scrapings and wet gill preparations were made to detect external parasites. Parasites were identified from fixed material. External parasites included Trichodina mutabilis, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, ciliophorans of the genus Tetrahymena, and monogeneans belonging to the genera Dactylogyrus and Gyrodactylus. This is the first report of Trichodina mutabilis in South Africa. Diseases imported with ornamental fish pose a risk to both indigenous fish populations and the aquaculture industry. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Immunohistochemical and Taqman real-time PCR detection of mycobacterial infections in fish

Real‐time PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were developed to detect fish mycobacterial infections at the genus level, based on the RNA polymerase β subunit (rpoB) gene and polyclonal anti‐Mycobacterium rabbit serum, respectively. The PCR assay positively identified a number of pathogenic mycobacteria including Mycobacterium abscessus, M. avium ssp. avium, M. bohemicum, M. chelonae ssp. chelonae, M. farcinogenes, M. flavescens, M. fortuitum ssp. fortuitum, M. gastri, M. gordonae, M. immunogenicum, M. malmoense, M. marinum, M. montefiorense, M. phlei, M. phocaicum, M. pseudoshottsii, M. salmoniphilum, M. senegalense, M. shottsii, M. smegmatis, M. szulgi and M. wolinskyi. A detection limit equivalent to 10² cfu g^?1 was registered for M. salmoniphilum‐infected fish tissue. The IHC precisely localized both free and intracellular mycobacteria in tissues and detected mycobacterial infections down to 10² cfu g^?1 tissue. Both assays were found to be more sensitive than Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) staining, where the detection limit was below 8 × 10³ cfu g^?1 tissue. Although specificity testing of the real‐time PCR against a panel of non‐Mycobacterium spp. revealed a degree of cross‐reaction against pure DNA extracted from Nocardia seriolae and Rhodococcus erythropolis, no cross‐reactions were identified (by either real‐time PCR or IHC) on testing of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tissues confirmed to be infected with these bacteria. The broad applicability of both assays was confirmed by analysis of FFPE tissues from a range of fish species infected with diverse Mycobacterium spp. The results indicate that both assays, alone or in combination, constitute sensitive tools for initial, rapid diagnosis of mycobacteriosis in fish. This should in turn allow rapid application of more specific studies, i.e. culture based, to identify the specific Mycobacterium sp. involved.     

牛非结核分枝杆菌分离与鉴定

本试验对从吉林省不同区域的7个城市采集的503份牛颌下淋巴结样品和497份牛肠系膜淋巴结样品进行非结核分枝杆菌的流行情况的调查,样品均采自结核(副结核)变态反应阴性牛只,调查中得到阳性样品25份,阳性率2.5%,其中颌下淋巴结阳性率1.59%,肠系膜淋巴结阳性率3.42%,成功分离扩增培养出14株非结核分枝杆菌,并进行了分类鉴别,得到母牛分枝杆菌1株,龟分枝杆菌脓肿亚种2株,苏加分枝杆菌2株,偶发分枝杆菌1株,蟾蜍分枝杆菌6株,胞内分枝杆菌2株.调查结果表明:非结核分枝杆菌单独感染的情况不容乐观,应加强对非结核分枝杆菌的检验检疫工作.