Mycobacterium africanum – A Review

Tuberculosis, a curable infectious disease, remains the leading cause of adult death. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has greatly exacerbated the already grave situation in the developing world by creating a deadly synergy each worsening the course of the other. Mycobacterium africanum is a subspecies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MBC) and is isolated from tuberculous patients in certain parts of Africa. Genotypically, members of the MBC are closely related, exhibiting 99.9% similarity at the nucleotide level and identical 16s RNA gene (rDNA) and 16s-23s rDNA spacer sequences. However, identification and discrimination between members of the MBC are important for epidemiological purposes. This paper reviewed current knowledge about this subspecies. Afr. J. Clin. Exper. Microbiol. 2005; 6(2): 167-175