Mycobacterium bovis

Introduction

Mycobacterium bovis is a bacteria that is found in over 20 countries across the world (Zimpel 2020).
Primary Literature Article: Molecular Detection of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Pasteur) in Soil (Young et al. 2005).

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

Kingdom: Monera
- Phylum: Actinobacteria
  - Class: Actinobacteria
    - Order: Actinomycetales
      - Family: Mycobacteriaceae
        Genus: Mycobacterium
        Species: Mycobacterium bovis
- Genus: Mycobacterium
- Specific Epithet: bovis - "of the ox"

Classification Information

Prokaryotic, unicellular
- Gram-positive bacteria
  - Gram-positive bacteria
    - Non-motile
      - Slow-growing, aerobic

Background Information

Commonly use cattle as a host, but can also have a host of some wild animals such as elk and deer (“Bovine Tuberculosis").
Slow-growing bacteria.
- Replicates once every 12-20 hours (“Bovine Tuberculosis").
Aerobic bacteria.
- Grows in an environment with the presence of oxygen.
Mycobacterium bovis is the cause of Bovine Tuberculosis (“Bovine Tuberculosis").
Discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch (“Etymologia" 2015).
As a pathogen, M. bovis is most commonly spread through contaminated foods. The bacteria can also spread through contact with open cuts and wounds of an animal or human that is already infected (“Etymologia" 2015).
Mycobacterium bovis can infect Arctocephalus forsteri.

Above: The graph shows how different levels of water saturation of soil affect the survival of M. bovis outside of a host. Soil at -20 kPa had the highest gene copy number, indicating a larger presence of the bacterium (Young et al. 2005).

Above: The graph shows the effect of different temperature levels to different types of cells introduced to soil samples as well as free DNA. Free DNA had the highest rate of decrease and live cells had the lowest (Young et al. 2005).

Data Analysis

Scientists wanted to determine how different factors affected the rate of decay of the bacteria, Mycobacterium bovis in soil samples.
Scientists wanted to determine the rate at which it took M. bovis to completely die off from soil samples taken from a test site if it did at all.
Scientists took soil samples from a recent contamination site in Ireland.
Scientists used polymerase chain reaction tests to determine whether or not soil in areas with contaminated wildlife contained the bacteria over several time intervals after initial infection.
- PCR tests are tests that indicate the presence of genetic material from an organism, in this case, M. bovis.
Scientists found that not only can M. bovis survive outside of a host and in soil, but it can also survive under a variety of circumstances. Climatic and environmental factors do, however, play a role in the rate at which the bacterium is eliminated from the site of contamination (Young et al. 2005).

Conclusion

Mycobacterium bovis is capable of surviving outside of a host for different amounts of time depending on the conditions of the environment.
This new discovery is important because it can be used to prevent the spread of Bovine Tuberculosis. With this new information, we are able to keep cattle off of land that was home to infected cattle, and therefore slow the spread of the bacteria, and thus, the disease.

References

“Bovine Tuberculosis.” SOM - State of Michigan, https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/wildlife-disease/bovine-tuberculosis.

“Etymologia: M. Bovis.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mar. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344296/.

Young, Jamie, Eamonn Gomrley, Elizabeth M.H. Wellington. 2005. “Molecular Detection of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Pasteur) in Soil.”

Zimpel, Cristina Kraemer, et al. “Global Distribution and Evolution of Mycobacterium Bovis Lineages.” Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers Media S.A., 7 May 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7232559/.

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