Identification of genes required for Mycobacterium abscessus growth in vivo with a prominent role of the ESX-4 locus.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium abscessus, a rapidly growing mycobacterium (RGM) and an opportunistic human pathogen, is responsible for a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from pulmonary to skin and soft tissue infections. This intracellular organism can resist the bactericidal defense mechanisms of amoebae and macrophages, an ability that has not been observed in other RGM. M. abscessus can up-regulate several virulence factors during transient infection of amoebae, thereby becoming more virulent in subsequent respiratory infections in mice. Here, we sought to identify the M. abscessus genes required for replication within amoebae. To this end, we constructed and screened a transposon (Tn) insertion library of an M. abscessus subspecies massiliense clinical isolate for attenuated clones. Th

SUBMITTER: Laencina L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5798338 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature