Phylogenomic Perspective on a Unique Mycobacterium bovis Clade Dominating Bovine Tuberculosis Infections among Cattle and Buffalos in Northern Brazil

Marília Lima Da Conceição (1, 2, 3) , Emilyn Costa Conceição (4, 5) , Ismari Perini Furlaneto (1) , Sandro Patroca Da Silva (2) , Arthur Emil dos Santos Guimarães (1, 2) , Pedro Gomes (6) , María Laura Boschiroli (7) , Lorraine Michelet (7) , Thomas Andreas Kohl (8, 9) , Katharina Kranzer (8, 10) , Loreno da Costa Francez (11) , Luana Nepomuceno Gondim Costa Lima (2) , Isabel Portugal (6) , João Perdigão (6) , Karla Valéria Batista Lima (1, 2)

1 UFPA - Federal University of Para - Universidade Federal do Pará - UFPA [Belém, Brazil]
2 Instituto Evandro Chagas
3 ULISBOA - Universidade de Lisboa = University of Lisbon
4 UFRJ - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro [Brasil] = Federal University of Rio de Janeiro [Brazil] = Université fédérale de Rio de Janeiro [Brésil]
5 FIOCRUZ - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz / Oswaldo Cruz Foundation
6 Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa
7 UZB - Unité Zoonoses Bactériennes
8 Forschungszentrum Borstel - Research Center Borstel
9 DZIF - German Centre for Infection Research
10 LSHTM - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
11 Federal University of Amazonas

Lack of routine surveillance in countries endemic for bovine tuberculosis (TB) and limited laboratory support contributes to the inability to differentiate the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex species, leading to an underestimated burden of the disease. Here, Whole-Genome Sequencing of Mycobacterium bovis isolated from tissues with TB-like lesions obtained from cattle and buffalos at Marajó Island, Brazil, demonstrates that recent transmission of M. bovis is ongoing at distinct sites. Moreover, the M. bovis epidemiology in this setting is herein found to be dominated by an endemic and unique clade composed of strains evolved from a common ancestor that are now genetically differentiated from other M. bovis clades. Additionally, envisioning a rapid strain differentiation and tracing across multiple settings, 28 globally validated strain-specific SNPs were identified, three of which considered as robust markers for the M. bovis Marajó strain. In conclusion, this study contributes with data regarding the identification of a novel M. bovis phylogenetic clade responsible for ongoing transmission events in both cattle and buffalo species in Brazil, provides a framework to investigate the dissemination of this highly prevalent strain and, holds the potential to inform TB control strategies that may help to prevent the spread of bovine and zoonotic TB.

Domaines: Médecine vétérinaire et santé animale; Bactériologie

Marília Lima Da Conceição, Emilyn Costa Conceição, Ismari Perini Furlaneto, Sandro Patroca Da Silva, Arthur Emil dos Santos Guimarães, et al.. Phylogenomic Perspective on a Unique Mycobacterium bovis Clade Dominating Bovine Tuberculosis Infections among Cattle and Buffalos in Northern Brazil. Scientific Reports, 2020, 10 (1), pp.1747. ⟨10.1038/s41598-020-58398-5⟩. ⟨anses-03910880⟩