Tuberculosis in captive seals: bacteriological studies on an isolate belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Culture of tuberculous lesions from six of 14 captive seals yielded an organism which, on the basis of biochemical and drug sensitivity tests, was identified as Mycobacterium bovis, although the organism showed a weak cording pattern and was glycerol tolerant. It was pathogenic in rabbits and guinea pigs and after passage the organism exhibited strong cord formation and was glycerol intolerant. Restriction endonuclease analysis and sodium dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the organism belonged to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Restriction patterns indicated that infection in the six seals was from a single source. Western blotting with monoclonal antibody to M bovis identified antigens at 23 and 27 kDa in M bovis which were absent from the seal isolates.