2025/05/06 by Denise Wee, Manitosh Pandey, Yao Chen +5 · 1 voice
Medicine · Immunology and Microbiology · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Mycobacterium research and diagnosis #Aquaculture disease management and microbiota #Myxozoan Parasites in Aquatic Species
paper · pdf · doi:10.1101/2025.05.05.652332
openalex publication_date 2025/05/06 · openalex created_date 2025/05/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Abstract Prior and concurrent tuberculosis infection are among the most important susceptibility factors for nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in Asia. Here we model this process in zebrafish with a primary Mycobacterium marinum infection followed by a secondary M. abscessus infection. We demonstrate preferential growth of secondary M. abscessus infection inside primary M. marinum granulomas. Granuloma-resident secondary M. abscessus is protected from macrophage-mediated immune control and antibiotic therapy. Successful colonization is driven by expansion of M. abscessus feeding on caseum produced by the primary M. marinum ESX-1 virulence program in a nutritionally separate niche from M. marinum . Our data suggest tuberculous granulomas may provide a long-lasting niche for the growth of the opportunistic pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus .