Isolation and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria From Wildlife in Japan

Abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic pathogens of humans and animals and are transmitted among the environment, wildlife, livestock, and humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility of NTM in wildlife. In total, 178 samples of feces ( n=131) and tissues ( n=47) were collected from 11 wildlife species in Gifu Prefecture and Mie Prefecture, Japan, between June 2016 and October 2018. We isolated NTM from 15.3% (20/131) of fecal samples using Ogawa medium, and isolates were identified by sequencing the rpoB and hsp65 genes. The rpoB sequences were compared with those from other strains of human and environmental origin. The NTM isolates were obtained from sika deer ( Cervus nippon), wild boar ( Sus scrofa), Japanese monkey ( Macaca fuscata), raccoon dog ( Nyctereutes procyonoides), masked palm civet ( Paguma larvata), and Japanese weasel ( Mustela itatsi) and were classified as rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) and slowly growing mycobacteria (SGM). The 12 RGM identified were Mycolicibacterium peregrinum ( n=5), Mycolicibacterium fortuitum ( n=3), Mycolicibacterium septicum ( n=3), and Mycolicibacterium thermoresistibile ( n=1), and the eight SGM were Mycobacterium paraense ( n=4), Mycolicibacter arupensis ( n=2), Mycolicibacter virginiensis ( n=1), and Mycobacterium nebraskense ( n=1). The NTM from wildlife showed ≥99% similarity with strains from different sources including humans. The RGM were susceptible to the antimicrobial agents tested except for M. fortuitum, which was resistant to azithromycin and clarithromycin. The SGM showed multiple drug resistance qualities but were susceptible to amikacin, clarithromycin, and rifabutin. These results indicate that wildlife may be reservoir hosts of NTM in Japan. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant NTM in wildlife suggests that the trends of NTM antimicrobial susceptibility in wildlife should be monitored.

Unique genomic sequences in a novelMycobacterium aviumsubsp.hominissuislineage enable fine scale transmission route tracing during pig movement

“…Based on this observation, it is unlikely that new MAH lineage was introduced from these regions. It is reported that MAH is isolated from wild boars in Europe (39), however, MAH is not isolated from wild animals in the same area of this study (40). Epidemiological information from farms harboring infected pigs revealed that the source of the new MAH lineage was likely introduced by pig movement.…”

“…MAH is isolated from wild boars in Europe (38), however, MAH is not isolated from wild animals in the same area of this study (39). Based on these observations, it is unlikely that SC5 was introduced from other areas or the environment.…”

“…In general, the Mycobacterium genus is mainly present in the environment, such as in water sources, soil and dust (36, 37), however, SC5 is genetically distinct from the other MAH isolates including environmental, human and pig isolates from the world. MAH is isolated from wild boars in Europe (38), however, MAH is not isolated from wild animals in the same area of this study (39). Based on these observations, it is unlikely that SC5 was introduced from other areas or the environment.…”

Bacterial zoonoses impacts to conservation of wildlife populations: a global synthesis

“…The majority of pathogens in this database are known to commonly cause signs of disease in humans and animals, but in order to be as comprehensive as possible, we also included pathogens that have been reported to cause disease in humans once, those found to cause disease only in immunocompromised patients and pathogens that are typically identified as asymptomatic. In addition, we included recently recognized pathogen species from the Center for Diseases Control (CDC), Merck Veterinary Manual, and published literature (Fischer et al, 2000;Raymond et al, 2000;Allsopp et al, 2005;Pitcher and Nicholas, 2005;Lisle et al, 2008;Austin, 2010;Rudenko et al, 2011;Ebani et al, 2012;Parola et al, 2013;Bittar et al, 2014;CDC, 2022;Flahou et al, 2014;Fuke et al, 2016;Fawzy et al, 2020;Gcebe and Hlokwe, 2017;Okaro et al, 2017;Rahim et al, 2017;Sousa et al, 2018;Cheong et al, 2019;Odoi et al, 2020;Lopes et al, 2021;Ochoa and Collado, 2021;Shopland et al, 2020;Zulu et al, 2021;Merck Manual, 2022).…”

Mycobacterial Interspersed Repeat Unit–Variable Number Tandem Repeat Typing of Mycobacterium avium Strains Isolated from the Lymph Nodes of Free-Living Carnivorous Animals in Poland

“…Infection with NTM can interfere with tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis [ 11 , 12 ] and carries some risk of zoonoses, especially in immunocompromised individuals [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Non-tuberculous mycobacteria have been found in many wildlife species [ 16 ], such as the badger ( Meles meles ) [ 17 ], wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) [ 18 ], fallow deer ( Dama dama ) [ 19 ], otter ( Lutra lutra ) [ 20 ], wild rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) [ 21 ], roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) [ 22 ], red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), sika deer ( Cervus nippon ) [ 23 ], and various species of wild rodents [ 24 ]. Diseases caused by NTM have become more readily recognized; however, it seems that they are still underestimated [ 7 ].…”