Drancourt M
Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UM 63 UMR_S1095 UMR 7278, Méditerranée Infection, 13385, Marseille, France.
Microb Pathog. 2014 Dec;77:119-24. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2014.07.001. Epub 2014 Jul 10.
Mycobacteria exhibit various relationships with amoebae, ranging from the killing of one partner by the other one, to amoebae hosting mycobacteria in trophozoites and cysts. This observation indicates that poorly described biological factors affect the relationships, including mycobacterial cell-wall glycolipids and the size of the mycobacteria. Experimental observations indicate that a majority of environmental, opportunistic mycobacteria but also obligate pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium ulcerans are inter-amoebal organisms. Amoebae may give opportunities for genetic exchanges between mycobacteria, sympatric intra-amoebal organisms and the amoebae themselves. Amoebae clearly protect opportunistic mycobacterial pathogens during their environmental life but their role for obligate mycobacterial infection remains to be established. Accordingly, water was the source for emerging, community-acquired and health care-associated infection with amoeba-resisting mycobacteria of the Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium fortuitum groups, among others. Amoebae are organisms where mycobacteria can be found and, accordingly, amoeba co-culture can be used for the isolation of mycobacteria from environmental and clinical specimens. Looking in amoebae may help recovering new species of mycobacteria.
分枝杆菌与变形虫呈现出多种关系，从一方杀死另一方，到变形虫在滋养体和包囊中容纳分枝杆菌。这一观察结果表明，一些描述较少的生物学因素会影响这种关系，包括分枝杆菌细胞壁糖脂和分枝杆菌的大小。实验观察表明，大多数环境性、机会性分枝杆菌以及包括结核分枝杆菌、麻风分枝杆菌和溃疡分枝杆菌在内的专性病原菌都是变形虫内寄生生物。变形虫可能为分枝杆菌、同域变形虫内寄生生物以及变形虫自身之间的基因交换提供机会。变形虫在环境生存期间显然会保护机会性分枝杆菌病原体，但其在专性分枝杆菌感染中的作用仍有待确定。因此，水是鸟分枝杆菌、脓肿分枝杆菌和偶然分枝杆菌等对变形虫有抗性的分枝杆菌引起新发、社区获得性和医疗保健相关感染的来源。变形虫是可以发现分枝杆菌的生物，因此，变形虫共培养可用于从环境和临床标本中分离分枝杆菌。在变形虫中寻找可能有助于发现分枝杆菌的新物种。
