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Proceedings of the First Symposium on Marsupials in New Zealand

Microbiology

Microbiology

Mycobacterium bovis is the most common isolate from tuberculous possums. Ninety out of one hundred and nine isolates from possums were typed as M. bovis. M. vaccae was isolated on seventeen occasions and M. avium and M. fortuitum on one occasion each (Ekdahl 1976).

M. vaccae is a rapidly growing organism and is considered to be saprophytic. It has been isolated most commonly from possums which had lesions histologically attributed to other causes although in three out of 20 cases a dual infection of M. Vaccae and M. bovis was found. Experimental inoculation of possums with a suspension of M. vaccae failed to produce lesions (O'Hara et al. 1976). Thus, it appears as if M. vaccae is an opportunist which can colonise lesions in possums.