Trends in Microbiology
ReviewMycobacterium abscessus: a new player in the mycobacterial field
Section snippets
Mycobacteria: from ‘historic’ to new human pathogens
Unlike other bacterial genera that contain only a handful of species, the Mycobacterium genus is large. Over one hundred species have been described so far and new ones are frequently reported. One of their common traits is a complex waxy cell envelope that plays an active role in the virulence process (Figure 1) (Refs 1, 2); in addition, this hydrophobic layer forms an exceptionally tight permeability barrier, rendering mycobacteria naturally resistant to a wide variety of environmental
Tuberculosis: models and limitations
The clinical importance of mycobacterial diseases, and particularly tuberculosis, has prompted researchers to study different species and to develop complementary tools to facilitate the construction of mutants and the study of the physiopathology of the disease in various cellular and animal models [9]. These studies elucidate the molecular mechanisms of virulence and persistence of these bacteria, thereby paving the way for the development of improved diagnostics, vaccine candidates and new
M. abscessus: the ‘ugly duckling’
M. abscessus was long considered to be a subspecies of Mycobacterium chelonae, a rapid grower infecting amphibians and fishes (Figure 2). Historically, these two organisms were not distinguished from each other and were designated ‘M. chelonae’, or even grouped with Mycobacterium fortuitum under the designation ‘M. fortuitum complex’ [20]. The species name ‘abscessus’ was originally coined after a case report of a human knee infection with deep subcutaneous abscess-like lesions [21]. It was
M. abscessus: a new actor on the scene
Although M. abscessus was only recently recognized as a pathogen, more than 400 publications about this species can be found in the Medline database at time of writing. There are over 32,000 articles in Medline concerning tuberculosis, underlining the emerging status of M. abscessus. The clinical importance of M. abscessus, combined with the fact that this species is the only pathogenic rapid grower, has led to the recent sequencing of its genome by a French consortium [43]. DNA microarrays
Concluding remarks
A number of tools are now available for the study of M. abscessus and, in particular, for the characterization of its virulence and its natural and acquired drug resistance. These range from genomic resources to genetic tools including in vitro and in vivo experimental models. The study of this emerging species opens new horizons for the analysis of mycobacterial pathogenesis and evolution. M. abscessus is closely related to the major RGM that are pathogenic for humans, including M. chelonae
Acknowledgements
We thank F. Jaubert, Pathology Department, Hospital ‘Necker-Enfants Malades’ (Paris, France) for the kind gift of the photograph shown in Figure 3. We thank Vladimir Pelicic and Marek Drab for critically reading and discussing this manuscript. H.M. is funded by a grant from ‘Vaincre la Mucoviscidose’.
Glossary
- Caseous necrosis
- caseation (caseum, ‘cheese’) is the basic process of tuberculosis disease in humans; this comprises the ‘solid’ necrosis that results from destruction of the tissue by the host's immune response.
- GPL
- glycopeptidolipid is a monoglycosylated fatty-acylated peptide that is further modified by small variable oligosaccharides. It is located at the outer surface of the mycobacterial cell wall.
- Granuloma
- a special type of inflammatory reaction typical of (but not specific to) mycobacterial
References (72)
Versatility of polyketide synthases in generating metabolic diversity
Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol.
(2007)- et al.
Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis
Lancet Infect. Dis.
(2009) - et al.
Microbial pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: dawn of a discipline
Cell
(2001) Internalization of a non-pathogenic mycobacteria by macropinocytosis in human alveolar epithelial A549 cells
Microb. Pathog.
(2008)Effect of phthiocerol dimycocerosate deficiency on the transcriptional response of human macrophages to Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Microbes Infect.
(2007)- et al.
An unusual acid-fast infection of the knee with subcutaneous, abscess-like lesions of the gluteal region; report of a case with a study of the organism, Mycobacterium abscessus, n. sp
J. Invest. Dermatol.
(1953) Spectrum of CNS disease caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria
Lancet Infect. Dis.
(2008)Antimicrobial resistance of rapidly growing mycobacteria in western Taiwan: SMART program 2002
J. Formos. Med. Assoc.
(2008)Surface-exposed glycopeptidolipids of Mycobacterium smegmatis specifically inhibit the phagocytosis of mycobacteria by human macrophages. Identification of a novel family of glycopeptidolipids
J. Biol. Chem.
(2003)Rough morphological variants of Mycobacterium avium. Characterization of genomic deletions resulting in the loss of glycopeptidolipid expression
J. Biol. Chem.
(1993)
Spontaneous transposition of IS1096 or ISMsm3 leads to glycopeptidolipid overproduction and affects surface properties in Mycobacterium smegmatis
Tuberculosis (Edinb)
Tuberculosis epidemiology, diagnosis and infection control recommendations for dental settings: an update on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines
J. Am. Dent. Assoc.
The envelope of mycobacteria
Annu. Rev. Biochem.
The Constituents of the Cell Envelope and Their Impact on the Host Immune System
The envelope layers of mycobacteria with reference to their pathogenicity
Adv. Microb. Physiol.
The genus Mycobacterium
Infections due to rapidly growing mycobacteria
Clin. Infect. Dis.
Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection in immunocompetent patients: comparison of thin-section CT and histopathologic findings
Radiology
Global transcriptional profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during THP-1 human macrophage infection
Infect. Immun.
Animal model of Mycobacterium abscessus lung infection
J. Leukoc. Biol.
Stepwise replication identifies a low-producing lymphotoxin-alpha allele as a major risk factor for early-onset leprosy
Nat. Genet.
Immunology in natura: clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary genetics of infectious diseases
Nat. Immunol.
TB database: an integrated platform for tuberculosis research
Nucleic. Acids Res.
Type VII secretion – mycobacteria show the way
Nat. Rev. Microbiol.
A glycolipid of hypervirulent tuberculosis strains that inhibits the innate immune response
Nature
Genetic advances for studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenicity
Mol. Microbiol.
A co-operative numerical analysis of rapidly growing mycobacteria
J. Gen. Microbiol.
Proposal of Mycobacterium peregrinum sp. nov., nom. rev. and elevation of Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. abscessus (Kubica et al.) to species status: Mycobacterium abscessus comb. nov
Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol.
Clinical and taxonomic status of pathogenic nonpigmented or late-pigmenting rapidly growing mycobacteria
Clin. Microbiol. Rev.
rpoB gene sequence-based characterization of emerging non-tuberculous mycobacteria with descriptions of Mycobacterium bolletii sp. nov., Mycobacterium phocaicum sp. nov. and Mycobacterium aubagnense sp. nov
Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol.
Dissection of phylogenetic relationships among 19 rapidly growing Mycobacterium species by 16S rRNA, hsp65, sodA, recA and rpoB gene sequencing
Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol.
Amoebal coculture of ‘Mycobacterium massiliense’ sp. nov. from the sputum of a patient with hemoptoic pneumonia
J. Clin. Microbiol.
Outbreak of Mycobacterium massiliense infection associated with intramuscular injections
J. Clin. Microbiol.
Molecular characterization of Mycobacterium massiliense and Mycobacterium bolletii in isolates collected from outbreaks of infections after laparoscopic surgeries and cosmetic procedures
J. Clin. Microbiol.
Age-related prevalence and distribution of nontuberculous mycobacterial species among patients with cystic fibrosis
J. Clin. Microbiol.
Mycobacterium abscessus and children with cystic fibrosis
Emerg. Infect. Dis.
Cited by (138)
Multiple Mycobacterium abscessus O-acetyltransferases influence glycopeptidolipid structure and colony morphotype
2023, Journal of Biological ChemistryA comparison of the bacterial CYP51 cytochrome P450 enzymes from Mycobacterium marinum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis
2022, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyGlycopeptidolipid glycosylation controls surface properties and pathogenicity in Mycobacterium abscessus
2022, Cell Chemical BiologyCitation Excerpt :They also underscore the clinical relevance of morphological distinctions between S and R morphotypes and the need to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for S-to-R transition. Produced by many NTMs, but not by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, surface-associated glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) are the key drivers of Mab morphotypes, primarily based on the production of high (in S) or low/absent (in R) levels of GPL, respectively (Bernut et al., 2016; Gutiérrez et al., 2018; Howard et al., 2006; Medjahed et al., 2010). Whole genome sequencing identified multiple indels in the gpl locus of the Mab R strain (Pawlik et al., 2013).
Mycobacterium abscessus cell wall and plasma membrane characterization by EPR spectroscopy and effects of amphotericin B, miltefosine and nerolidol
2022, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - BiomembranesCitation Excerpt :Mycobacteria are known to have a cell wall that is abundantly composed of mycolic acids as well as a plasma membrane, which together form a structure known as the cell envelope [1,2] that makes the species of this genus intrinsically resistant to many antimicrobials [3].
- *
In memoriam.