Publications by authors named "Ruben Gerhard van der Merwe"
Article Synopsis
- Tuberculosis is caused by different types of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), including a new strain called Mycobacterium suricattae that affects meerkats in Southern Africa.
- Preliminary genetic analysis suggests M. suricattae is closely related to a strain that affects rock hyraxes, known as the dassie bacillus.
- Whole genome sequencing reveals evolutionary relationships among various MTBC strains, highlighting M. suricattae's connection to the chimpanzee bacillus and proposing a new evolutionary scenario for the Mycobacterium africanum lineage 6 complex.
Tuberculosis threatens human health nowhere more than in developing countries with large malnourished and/or immune-compromised (e.g. HIV infected) populations.
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