Characterization of<i>Mycobacterium orygis</i>as<i>M. tuberculosis</i>Complex Subspecies

Abstract

The oryx bacilli are Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms for which phylogenetic position and host range are unsettled. We characterized 22 isolates by molecular methods and propose elevation to subspecies status as M. orygis. M. orygis is a causative agent of tuberculosis in animals and humans from Africa and South Asia.