Mycobacterium spongiae in marine sponge provides insights into evolution and virulence of tubercle bacilli

NEWS - Researchers have described the bacterium Mycobacterium spongiae found in marine sponges collected near Cooktown, Queensland. The team from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne reports the microbe could provide new insights into the evolution of pathogenic bacteria.

The surprising discovery of bacteria in marine sponges from the Great Barrier Reef that closely resemble Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for tuberculosis (TB), could unlock future TB treatment strategies.

Sea sponges, often referred to as “chemical factories”, are a valuable source of bioactive compounds with anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers discovered the puzzling bacteria while studying sponge specimens for the bacteria that produce the chemicals.

The team carried out extensive analysis of the genes, proteins and lipids of M. spongiae (strain ID: FSD4b-SM). They found the bacteria shared 80% of their genetic material with M. tuberculosis, including several key genes associated with their ability to cause disease.

"We were very surprised to find that this bacterium is a close relative of M. tuberculosis," said Sacha Pidot from the Doherty Institute.

Tuberculosis is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, but the origins of M. tuberculosis are still poorly understood. Now the University of Melbourne team has found that M. spongiae does not cause disease in mice, meaning it is not virulent.

"This discovery provides new insights into the evolution of M. tuberculosis, suggesting that this pathogen may have originated from marine mycobacteria. This new knowledge is an important foundation for future research," said Timothy Stinear from the Doherty Institute.

"While there is still much work to be done, this discovery is an important part of understanding how TB became such a serious disease. Our findings could help to identify the link to M. tuberculosis for the development of new strategies such as vaccines to prevent tuberculosis," Stinear said.

Mycobacterium was first officially described by Lehmann & Neumann (1896) in the Atlas und Grundriss der Bacteriologie und Lehrbuch der Speziellen bakteriologischen Diagnostik. To date there are more than 190 officially recorded species.

Original research

Pidot SJ, Klatt S, Ates LS, Frigui W, Sayes F, Majlessi L, et al. (2024) Marine sponge microbe provides insights into evolution and virulence of the tubercle bacillus. PLOS Pathogens 20(8): e1012440. DOI:10.1371/journal.ppat.1012440

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