Comparative genome sequencing and analyses of Mycobacterium cosmeticum reveal potential for biodesulfization of gasoline

<div><p><i>Mycobacterium cosmeticum</i> is a nontuberculous <i>Mycobacterium</i> recovered from different water sources including household potable water and water collected at nail salon. Individual cases of this bacterium have been reported to be associated with gastrointestinal tract infections. Here we present the first whole-genome study and comparative analysis of two new clinically-derived <i>Mycobacterium</i> sp. UM_RHS (referred as UM_RHS after this) and <i>Mycobacterium</i> sp. UM_NYF (referred as UM_NYF after this) isolated from patients in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively to have a better understanding of the biological characteristic of these isolates. Both strains are likely <i>Mycobacterium cosmeticum</i> as supported by the evidence from molecular phylogenetic, comparative genomic and Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) analyses. We found the presence of a considerably large number of putative virulence genes in the genomes of UM_RHS and UM_NYF. Interestingly, we also found a horizontally transferred genomic island carrying a putative <i>dsz</i> operon proposing that they may have potential to perform biodesulfization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) that may be effective in cost reduction and air pollution during fuel combustion. This comparative study may provide new insights into <i>M</i>. <i>cosmeticum</i> and serve as an important reference for future functional studies of this bacterial species.</p></div