COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF MYCOBACTIN-DEPENDENT STRAINS OF MYCOBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM WOOD-PIGEON WITH MYCOBACTERIUM-AVIUM AND M PARA-TUBERCULOSIS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. B133  (2) , 291-302
Abstract
Three mycobacterial strains isolated in a laboratory from wood pigeons were compared with 1 strain isolated by Matthews and another by Jorgensen from, respectively, a wood pigeon and a roe deer. The strains were also compared with various strains of M. avium and M. paratuberculosis. The strains isolated from the wood pigeons formed a relatively homogeneous group, which could be distinguished from M. avium and M. paratuberculosis. Most of the cultural and biochemical properties of the wood pigeon mycobacteria were similar to those of M. paratuberculosis. The strains formed rough colonies and grew slowly in special media containing M. phlei extracts or mycobactin; mycobactin dependence was also reported by Matthews for some strains of M. avium. The tween hydrolysis test (10 days), negative for M. avium, was positive for the wood pigeon mycobacteria and M. paratuberculosis. The trehalase test, which appears to be regularly positive for M. avium, was also positive for the wood pigeon mycobacteria and M. paratuberculosis. In respect to drug susceptibility, no significant differences were observed. The organisms were resistant to most drugs studied, but were also resistant to cycloserine, in contrast to most M. avium strains. The organisms were not distinguished using sensitins prepared from wood pigeon mycobacteria and M. paratuberculosis, using specifically sensitized guinea pigs. The wood pigeon mycobacteria could be clearly differentiated from M. paratuberculosis and M. avium using serology methods. The wood pigeon mycobacteria did not agglutinate in the presence of any of the sera defining the M. avium-intracellulare serovars (serovars 1:28); by immunodiffusion in agar the wood pigeon mycobacteria antigens formed 2 precipitation lines which were absent from M. paratuberculosis. Wood pigeon mycobacteria are more closely related to M. paratuberculosis than to M. avium. The biochemical and antigenic properties are not sufficient to completely differentiate these bacteria. Further studies are needed and their pathogenicity for rabbits, chickens and calves will soon be investigated.