IDENTIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM CAPRAE FROM MINKS

Mycobacterium caprae (M. caprae) is a member of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex (MTC) and one of the causative agents of bovine tuberculosis within animal populations. The species was linked to outbreaks of tuberculosis in central and western European countries, mainly in cattle and goat, but also in wildlife and human. In our country, in recent years, M. caprae was the predominant identified species in infected cattle herds. Genotyping of mycobacteria strains can facilitate the study of the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in Romania, allowing the traceability of the outbreaks. The aim of this study was the characterization of tuberculous Mycobacterium strains identified in tissue samples with granulomatous lesions from minks. Identification was performed by Real time PCR, targeting the following insertion sequence: IS6110, IS1081, IS1561, as well as region of difference 4 (RD4) and Hsp65 and LepA genes. The results demonstrate the presence of M. caprae in all the investigated animal samples, confirmed by the presence of the specific substitution in the LepA gene. Furthermore, the particular response observed for the RD4, for all the tested samples, suggests the same deletion of a fragment in the RD4 region, emphasizing an inconstancy of the region and the heterogeneity of this differentiation marker.