Mycobacterium aviumin the Postgenomic Era

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The past several years have witnessed an upsurge of genomic data pertaining to theMycobacterium aviumcomplex (MAC). Despite clear advances, problems with the detection of MAC persist, spanning the tests that can be used, samples required for their validation, and the use of appropriate nomenclature. Additionally, the amount of genomic variability documented to date greatly outstrips the functional understanding of epidemiologically different subsets of the organism. In this review, we discuss how postgenomic insights into the MAC have helped to clarify the relationships between MAC organisms, highlighting the distinction between environmental and pathogenic subsets ofM. avium. We discuss the availability of various genetic targets for accurate classification of organisms and how these results provide a framework for future studies of MAC variability. The results of postgenomicM. aviumstudy provide optimism that a functional understanding of these organisms will soon emerge, with genomically defined subsets that are epidemiologically distinct and possess different survival mechanisms for their various niches. Although the status quo has largely been to study differentM. aviumsubsets in isolation, it is expected that attention to the similarities and differences betweenM. aviumorganisms will provide greater insight into their fundamental differences, including their propensity to cause disease.

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