Molecular Epidemiological Characteristics of Mycobacterium abscessus Complex Derived from Non-Cystic Fibrosis Patients in Japan and Taiwan
Mitsunori Yoshida, Jung‐Yien Chien, Kozo Morimoto, Takeshi Kinjo, Akio Aono, Yoshiro Murase, Keiji Fujiwara, Yuta Morishige, Hiroaki Nagano, Ruwen Jou, Naoki Hasegawa, Manabu Ato, Yoshihiko Hoshino, Po‐Ren Hsueh, Satoshi Mitarai
Abstract
Members of Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) are frequently isolated from patients. Studies have reported that predominant clones of MABC (known as dominant circulating clones; DCCs) are distributed worldwide and transmitted from humans to humans in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, associated genomic epidemiology has not yet been conducted in East Asia, including Japan and Taiwan, where there are only a few patients with CF. Using whole-genome sequencing data derived from non-CF patients in Japan and Taiwan, we revealed prevalent clones and the incidence of macrolide resistance-associated mutations in the MABC population in this region. We also clarified the associations between these predominant clones and DCCs in the global CF patient community. Our results would assist further studies in elucidating the genetic characteristics of strains isolated from patients with or without CF, the differences between globally spread and regionally specific strains, and the adaptive evolution of MABC within the host.