A new cultivation‐independent tool for fast and reliable detection of M ycobacterium marinum

The M ycobacterium marinum group ( MMG ) is a class of mycobacteria that includes M . marinum , the cause of chronic systemic infections in fish. This species occasionally causes granulomatous skin lesions in humans. Other members of MMG are mycolactone‐producing mycobacteria ( MPM ; M . ulcerans , M . shottsii and M . pseudoshottsii ). The cultivation‐independent approach presented in this study brings a fast and reliable alternative to classically used cultivation methods. The developed triplex erp / IS 2404 q PCR assay is based on a primary species‐specific erp detection, which allows enumeration of MMG in analysed samples, and secondary IS 2404 detection is suitable for the differentiation of M . marinum from MPM . The detection of M . marinum in clinical specimens and in artificially contaminated tissue samples has proven its applicability for diagnostic purposes.