Clinical Relevance and Environmental Prevalence of Mycobacterium fortuitum Group Members. Comment on Mugetti et al. Gene Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis: Powerful Tools for an Improved Diagnosis of Fish Mycobacteriosis Caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum Group Members. Microorganisms 2021, 9 , 797.

Mycobacterium fortuitum group (MFG) members are able to cause clinical mycobacteriosis in fish and other animals including humans. M. alvei , M. arceuilense , M. brisbanense , M. conceptionense , M. fortuitum , M. peregrinum , M. porcinum , M. senegalense, M. septicum , and M. setense were isolated from fish with mycobacteriosis. In other animals only three MFG species have been isolated: M. arceuilense from camels' milk, M. farcinogenes from cutaneous infections often described as "farcy", and M. fortuitum from different domestic and wild mammals' species. Out of 17, only 3 MFG species ( M. arceuilense , M. lutetiense and M. montmartrense ) have never been reported in humans. A total of eight MFG members ( M. alvei , M. brisbanense , M. conceptionense , M. fortuitum subsp. acetamidolyticum , M. houstonense , M. peregrinum , M. porcinum , and M. septicum ) have been isolated from both pulmonary and extrathoracic locations. In extrathoracic tissues five MFG species ( M. boenickei , M. farcinogenes , M. neworleansense , M. senegalense , and M. setense ) have been diagnosed and only one MFG member ( M. fortuitum subsp. acetamidolyticum ) has been isolated from pulmonary infection.