first isolation and characterization of M. pseudoshottsii in Israel

Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii is a slowly growing photochromogenic, pathogenic mycobacteria and a member of the nontuberculous (NTM) group, first characterized in 2005 in the USA. Within the NTM members, M. pseudoshottsii is one of the species of the M. ulcerans/M. marinum clade. Phylogenetically, the members of the M. ulcerans/M. marinum clade are closer than other NTMs to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the most important human pathogen responsible of human tuberculosis. M. pseudoshottsii has been shown to produce mycolactone, a macrolide toxin, similar to the necrotizing mycolactone of M. ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli Ulcer. M. pseudoshottsii has been described mostly in wild fish species of the genus Morone in the USA and farmed marine fish species in Japan. Lately, M. pseudoshottsii has been described in Greece and Italy, affecting marine edible fish species.Here we describe the first isolation and characterization of M. pseudoshottsii in Israel from two fish species: hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) farmed in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and offshore sea cages, respectively. We isolated the bacteria on a selective media and sequenced their whole-genome for phylogenetic analysis.