We here describe the identification and characterization of three novel secreted Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigens of 9, 15 and 34 kDa (Map2609, Map2942c and Map0210c, respectively) by screening a genomic expression library with a serum of a naturally infected clinical cow. The 9, 15 and 34 kDa antigens display strong homology to previously described M. tuberculosis antigens,...

Various strains of unclassified mycobacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (including H37Rv strains), M. bovis, M. avium, M. fortuitum, and bacille Calmette-Guerin, were exposed to the temperature and time of pasteurization in skim milk in test tubes. Of the 195 strains tested, there were a few surviving colonies among 6 of 33 skotochromogens, 1 of 26 photochromogens, 10 of 79 nonchromogens, and ...

Spondylodiscitis, the inflammation of the vertebral bodies and the intervertebral disk space, is the reason for low back pain in a minority of cases. This is caused by various pathogens. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for 17-39% of all the cases of spondylodiscitis. On the contrast, spondylodiscitis from non tuberculous mycobacteria is extremely rare in literature. We describe a 68 -...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) is a causative agent of tuberculosis, a worldwide public health problem. In recent years, the incidence of human mycobacterial infection due to species other than M. tb has increased. However, the lack of specific, rapid, and inexpensive methods for identification of mycobacterial species remains a pressing problem. A diagnostic test was developed for mycobact...

Nontuberculous mycobacteria were identified from 45891 samples of 19553 patients with a prediagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis between November 2004 and January 2009. Among 10041 (21.9%) culture positive samples, 208 (2.1%) pulmonary samples recovered from 77 individual patients were differentiated as mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT). Proportion of mycobacteria evaluated as causative...

The nontuberculous mycobacteria are a large group of acid-fast bacteria that are very widely distributed in the environment. While Mycobacterium avium was once regarded as innocuous, its high frequency as a cause of disseminated disease in HIV-positive individuals illustrated its potential as a pathogen. Much more recently, there is growing evidence that the incidence of M. avium and related no...

This study aimed to determine the occurrence of Mycobacterium avium complex and other nontuberculous mycobacteria in drinking-water in Basra governorate, Iraq and their susceptibility to several antibiotics and the effect of 0.5 mg/L of chlorine on their survival. A total of 404 samples of drinking-water were collected from 33 different districts of the governorate from November 2006 to August ...

Moxifloxacin is an 8-methoxyquinolone compound with activity against a wide range of bacteria. We tested its activity in comparison with four other quinolones and isoniazid against clinical isolates of mycobacteria. It proved to be the most active of the quinolones tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC90 0.25 mg/L), Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MIC90 1.0 mg/L), Mycobacterium kan...

Interferon (IFN)-gamma responsiveness to 12 purified protein derivative (PPD) and new tuberculin antigens from 9 species of mycobacteria was assessed, using a whole blood assay, in 616 young adults living in northern Malawi, where Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination provides no protection against pulmonary tuberculosis. The prevalence of IFN-gamma responsiveness was hi...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium complex strains given intramacrophage passage (I-type) were compared with those cultured in a liquid medium (E-type) for their drug susceptibilities when they were replicating in Mono-Mac-6 macrophages or A-549 cells. Their intracellular susceptibilities to rifalazil, clarithromycin, and levofloxacin were decreased more in I-type organisms than in E-type ...