MaP makes spores

Lamont et al. report observing MaP (Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis) cultures going into a 'spore-like morphotype' under stress conditions. Making spores had been observed in other mycobacteria previously, but this is a new finding for MaP. It helps to explain how MaP can 'survive' harsh conditions such as pasteurization and underlines the necessity to control its spread on the animal/herd level rather than at food processing.

Source: Lamont EA, Bannantine JP, Armién A, Ariyakumar DS, Sreevatsan S (2012) Identification and Characterization of a Spore-Like Morphotype in Chronically Starved Mycobacterium avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Cultures. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30648. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030648