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EPIDEMIOLOGY

When specialized clones go global

Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 1215–1216 (2021)Cite this article

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Multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium abscessus clones from individuals who smoke have infiltrated the narrow niche of patients with cystic fibrosis, which has resulted in surprising specialization and subsequent worldwide dissemination.

Mycobacterium abscessus is an emerging opportunistic pathogen able to cause lung disease in immunocompetent individuals. This species encompasses a large genetic diversity and can be sub-divided into three subspecies: Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus, bolletii and massiliense. Since the late 1990s, this pathogen has been increasingly recovered from patients with cystic fibrosis and has the highest rate of genuine clinically relevant infection among non-tuberculous bacteria.

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Fig. 1: Large-scale adaptive jumps versus local fine-tuning of human pathogens.

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  1. Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université des Antilles, EPHE, Paris, France

    Thierry Wirth

  2. PSL University, EPHE, Paris, France

    Thierry Wirth

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  1. Thierry Wirth
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Correspondence to Thierry Wirth.

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Wirth, T. When specialized clones go global. Nat Microbiol 6, 1215–1216 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00967-z

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