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Immunity

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Globally Distributed Mycobacterial Fish Pathogens Produce A Novel Plasmid-Encoded Toxic Macrolide, Mycolactone F, B S. Ranger, E A. Malone, L Mosi, S Adusumilli, R E. Lee, A Coloni, M Rhodes, Plc Small Nov 2006

Globally Distributed Mycobacterial Fish Pathogens Produce A Novel Plasmid-Encoded Toxic Macrolide, Mycolactone F, B S. Ranger, E A. Malone, L Mosi, S Adusumilli, R E. Lee, A Coloni, M Rhodes, Plc Small

VIMS Articles

Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium marinum are closely related pathogens which share an aquatic environment. The pathogenesis of these organisms in humans is limited by their inability to grow above 35 degrees C. M. marinum causes systemic disease in fish but produces localized skin infections in humans. M. ulcerans causes Burulli ulcer, a severe human skin lesion. At the molecular level, M. ulcerans is distinguished from M. marinum by the presence of a virulence plasmid which encodes a macrolide toxin, mycolactone, as well as by hundreds of insertion sequences, particularly IS2404. There has been a global increase in reports of fish …