Infection of mice with Mycobacterium avium or immunization with a novel PE gene expressed by M. avium (MaPE) showed that a dominant T-cell immune response was elicited. Immunization with an MaPE DNA vaccine protected mice against an aerosol challenge with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, suggesting that mycobacteria express PE antigens with cross-protective T-cell epitopes.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis causes Johne's disease, a systemic infection and chronic inflammation of the intestine that affects many species, including primates. Infection is widespread in livestock, and human populations are exposed. Johne's disease is associated with immune dysregulation, with involvement of the enteric nervous system overlapping with features of irritable bow...

Whole chromosomal DNA probes were used to identify clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium complex, and Mycobacterium gordonae. The probe for M. tuberculosis was prepared from Mycobacterium bovis BCG, which has been shown to be closely related to M. tuberculosis. A probe for the M. avium complex was prepared from three strains representing each of the three DNA homo...

The incidence of lung and other diseases due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is increasing. NTM sources include potable water, especially in households where NTM populate pipes, taps, and showerheads. NTM share habitats with free-living amoebae (FLA) and can grow in FLA as parasites or as endosymbionts. FLA containing NTM may form cysts that protect mycobacteria from disinfectants and anti...

paratuberculosis (john’s disease) is infectious and chronically progressive granulomatous disease which affects domestic and wild ruminants. the causative agent is mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (map), a slow growing mycobactin dependent acid-fast bacillus. we investigated the detection and frequency of map in apparently healthy dromedary and bactrian camels by insertion sequence 900 (is9...

Fluorescent acid-fast microscopy (FAM) was used to enumerate intracellular Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum in the ciliated phagocytic protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. There was a linear relationship between FAM and colony counts of M. avium cells both from cultures and within protozoa. The Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast stain could not be used to enum...

Mycobacterium avium, an environmental, opportunistic pathogenic mycobacterium, has been isolated frequently and in high numbers from waters in Finland and from acid, brown water swamps of the southeastern coastal USA. M. avium has also been recovered in high numbers from Finnish drinking water and frequently isolated from Finnish AIDS patients. Boreal forests and brown water swamps are similar ...

Forty-five mycobacterial strains isolated from 23 Colombian HIV-positive patients were identified as members of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and were characterized using different molecular approaches. Seven of the isolates showed characteristic features that allowed them to be differentiated from other members of the complex. The isolates had a novel 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed ...

Beak and feather disease virus- (BFDV-) positive (naturally infected) but clinically healthy budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) were inoculated with two isolates of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium isolated from naturally infected golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) and peafowl (Pavo cristatus). During a period of more than two months after inoculation, samples of cloacal and crop swabs, f...