First whole-genome sequence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. silvaticum isolated from a diseased Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)

The first complete, high quality, closed genome sequence of a Mas isolate closes a knowledge gap. Even if the collection of further genome sequences is considered necessary, the now existing data set already enables a deeper analysis of M. avium. The found differences in the Mas gene content compared to the closest relative Maa seem to be stable and independent of spatial (France, UK, Germany) and temporal (>40 years) differences on their isolation. These data thus call into question the demand for merging the two subspecies Maa and Mas into one, but further genome sequences from other Mas strains are needed to answer this question conclusively.