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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1558006
This article is part of the Research TopicOne Health Approach to Mycobacterial Infections in Veterinary ScienceView all 8 articles
Characterization of Mycobacteria Isolated from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: a public health and bioprospection perspective
Provisionally accepted
Leandro Santiago Emmerick1
Marcos Araujo Schwarz1*
Paloma Rezende Correa1Sindy Licette Piñero1
Leonardo Henrique Ferreira Gomes2Ana Maria Mazotto Almeida3
Richard Hemmi Valente4
Wim Degrave1
Leila Mendonça-Lima1- 1Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2High Complexity Laboratory, Clinical Research Unit, Fernandes Figueira Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Brazil
- 3Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 4Toxinology Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Brazil
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The Mycobacterium genus remains highly relevant today due to the rising incidence of tuberculosis and opportunistic infections caused by environmental mycobacteria. While much is known about M. tuberculosis, M. leprae and M. bovis, studies focusing on environmental mycobacteria remain limited. These microorganisms are globally distributed and have been identified in diverse biomes, including the Atlantic Forest. This study aims to provide a characterization of four mycobacterial strains isolated from the Atlantic Forest, assessing their metabolic capabilities and biotechnological potential. We investigated the presence of cellulases and proteases and conducted an initial profiling of secreted proteins. Furthermore, the examination of shared antigens and infection kinetics within macrophages offered insights into the ecological and pathogenic potential of these isolates. From a public health perspective, antigenic similarities between these environmental microorganisms and the BCG vaccine strain may influence the efficacy of BCG in protecting against diseases such as tuberculosis. Continued research on these and other environmental isolates, particularly within Brazil's highly biodiverse ecosystems, holds promise for advancing scientific knowledge and contributing to human health.
Keywords: Nontuberculous Mycobacteria, Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Cellulase, Protease, mycobacterium shared antigens
Received: 22 Jan 2025; Accepted: 08 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Emmerick, Schwarz, Correa, Piñero, Gomes, Almeida, Valente, Degrave and Mendonça-Lima. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Marcos Araujo Schwarz, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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