Differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by PCR amplification of genomic regions of difference

Differentiation of members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by conventional mycobacteriological methods is time consuming, making surveillance of species-specific disease difficult. A two-step, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on genomic regions of difference (RD1, RD1(mic), RD2(seal), RD4, RD9 and RD12) was developed for the differentiation of M. canettii, M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. microti, M. pinnipedii, M. caprae, M. bovis and M. bovis BCG. The size of the respective multiplex PCR amplification products corresponded to the presence of the different M. tuberculosis complex members. This method allows for rapid differentiation, making it suitable for routine laboratories and surveillance purposes.

The immune response of the Chacma baboon to Bacille Calmette Guerin: development of a primate model for BCG-based vaccine research

Mycobacterium bovis Bacilli Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is used increasingly as an efficient vector for expression of recombinant proteins to induce a strong cell-mediated immunity. Here, we tested the immune response of Chacma baboons to the Tokyo and Pasteur strains of BCG in order to obtain base-line information on the response of this primate to BCG. While a humoral immune response to BCG was detected only in some vaccinated baboons, a cellular immune response characterized by a PPD-specific delayed hypersensitivity response and BCG-specific IFN-gamma production from PBMC was a consistent finding. These responses were long-lived and could be detected beyond a year after a booster inoculation at 20 weeks. The results thus suggest that the Chacma baboon may be used as a non-human primate for the evaluation of recombinant BCG vaccines.

Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) from eastern and southern Africa: detection of a SIVagm variant from a chacma baboon

Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) have been shown to infect many Old World African primate species. Thus far, no work has been published on southern African primates. In this study we investigated the genetic diversity between SIV strains from Kenyan and South African vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus). We amplified and sequenced a 1113 bp region of the env gene. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences showed that all strains clustered with members of the vervet subgroup of SIVagm. The SIVs from South African vervets differed by 7% from each other and by 8-14% from the Kenyan SIV strains, while the Kenyan SIV strains differed by 10-21% from SIVagm of other east African vervets. We also isolated and sequenced, for the first time, a SIV strain from a healthy chacma baboon (Papio ursinus), caught in South Africa. Phylogenetic analysis of the env region showed the virus to be closely related to the South African vervet SIV strains, while analysis of its pol region confirmed the virus to be a SIVagm variant.

Acute gastric dilatation in two black and white colobus monkeys

Acute gastric dilatation in two black and white colobus monkeys is described. The subfamily colobini have a ruminant-like stomach and a pregastric fermentation, of important for the observations described.