The complete genome sequence ofMycobacterium bovis

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Abstract
Mycobacterium bovisis the causative agent of tuberculosis in a range of animal species and man, with worldwide annual losses to agriculture of $3 billion. The human burden of tuberculosis caused by the bovine tubercle bacillus is still largely unknown.M. boviswas also the progenitor for theM. bovisbacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine strain, the most widely used human vaccine. Here we describe the 4,345,492-bp genome sequence ofM. bovisAF2122/97 and its comparison with the genomes ofMycobacterium tuberculosisandMycobacterium leprae. Strikingly, the genome sequence ofM. bovisis >99.95% identical to that ofM. tuberculosis, but deletion of genetic information has led to a reduced genome size. Comparison withM. lepraereveals a number of common gene losses, suggesting the removal of functional redundancy. Cell wall components and secreted proteins show the greatest variation, indicating their potential role in host–bacillus interactions or immune evasion. Furthermore, there are no genes unique toM. bovis, implying that differential gene expression may be the key to the host tropisms of human and bovine bacilli. The genome sequence therefore offers major insight on the evolution, host preference, and pathobiology ofM. bovis.