What characteristic is unique to Mycobacterium?

The distinguishing characteristic of all Mycobacterium species is that the cell wall is thicker than in many other bacteria, being hydrophobic, waxy, and rich in mycolic acids/mycolates.

What are the characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

Mycobacteria, such as M tuberculosis, are aerobic, non–spore-forming, nonmotile, facultative, curved intracellular rods measuring 0.2-0.5 μm by 2-4 μm.

What do you mean by Mycobacterium?

Mycobacterium: A large family of bacteria that have unusually waxy cell walls that are resistant to digestion.

Why is it called Mycobacterium?

Being hydrophobic, they tend to grow as fungus-like pellicles on liquid culture media: hence the name Mycobacterium – ‘fungus bacterium. ‘ Even the rapidly growing mycobacteria grow slowly in comparison with most other bacteria.

What characteristic is unique to Mycobacterium quizlet?

Mycobacteria are bacilli with a Gram-positive-like cell envelope but, because of their cell envelope structure, does not stain as such. Instead, they have acid-fast staining characteristics.

What is unique about the cell wall of Mycobacterium?

The distinguishing feature of mycobacteria, the complex cell wall, is a well-recognized drug target. The essential core cell wall structure is composed of three main components: a cross-linked polymer of peptidoglycan, a highly branched arabinogalactan polysaccharide, and long-chain mycolic acids.

How would you describe tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from person to person through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.

What characteristics of an acid-fast cell wall makes this bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis more likely to cause disease?

Acid-Fast Bacteria—Ziehl– Neelsen Stain This stain is used to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Acid-fast organisms have a lipoid capsule that has a high molecular weight and is waxy at room temperature. This makes the organism impenetrable by aqueous-based staining solutions.

What is the structure of Mycobacterium?

The mycobacterial cell envelope comprises four main layers: (i) the plasma membrane or inner membrane (IM), (ii) the peptidoglycan–arabinogalactan complex (AGP), (iii) an asymmetrical outer membrane (OM) or ‘mycomembrane’, that is covalently linked to AGP via the mycolic acids, and (iv) the outermost capsule [24] ( …

Is Mycobacterium a fungus or bacteria?

Mycobacteria are characterized by the possession of very thick, waxy, lipid-rich hydrophobic cell walls. Being hydrophobic, they tend to grow as fungus-like pellicles on liquid culture media: hence the name Mycobacterium – ‘fungus bacterium.

Which one of the following is characteristic of mycobacteria?

Mycobacteria are immobile, slow-growing rod-shaped, gram-positive bacteria with high genomic G+C content (61-71%). Due to their special staining characteristics under the microscope, which is mediated by mycolic acid in the cell wall, they are called acid-fast. This is also the reason for the hardiness of mycobacteria.

What kind of bacteria is in the Mycobacteriaceae family?

My·co·bac·te·ri·um. A genus of aerobic, nonmotile bacteria (family Mycobacteriaceae) containing gram-positive, acid-fast, slender, straight or slightly curved rods; slender filaments occasionally occur, but branched forms rarely are produced. Parasitic and saprophytic species occur.

Which is the best definition of mycobacterial disease?

My·co·bac·te·ri·um. A genus of aerobic, nonmotile bacteria (family Mycobacteriaceae) containing gram-positive, acid-fast, slender, straight or slightly curved rods; slender filaments occasionally occur, but branched forms rarely are produced.

What are the physical characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

1.1 Characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus Mycobacteria are small rod-shaped bacilli that can cause a variety of diseases in humans. They can be thought of in three main groups: – Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex: this group includes M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum, M. microti, and M. canetti.

How many species of Mycobacterium are there in the world?

Mycobacterium is a genus of Actinobacteria, given its own family, the Mycobacteriaceae. Over 190 species are recognized in this genus. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae) in humans.