Mycobacterium tuberculosis appearance
- M. tuberculosis has an unusual, waxy coating on its cell surface (primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid), which makes the cells impervious to Gram staining but the cell wall of a Mycobacterium under an electron microscope resembles the gram positive cell wall structure. The Ziehl-Neelsen stain, or other acid-fast stain, is used instead. More about Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Gram stain you can find here.
- nonmotile
- non-spore forming
Infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria
- primarily a pathogen of the mammalian respiratory system, it infects the lungs
- in 15–20% of active cases, the infection spreads outside the lungs, causing other kinds of TB. These are collectively denoted as "extrapulmonary tuberculosis"
- pleura (tuberculous pleurisy)
- tuberculous meningitis
- lymphatic system (scrofula of the neck)
- genitourinary system (urogenital tuberculosis)
- bones and joints (Pott disease of the spine)
Deaths caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (2004)
- Worldwide incidence: 7,782,000 [1]
- Worldwide deaths: 1,464,000 [2]
Mycobacterium tuberculosis treatment
Should be always guided by in vitro susceptibility tests!!
Selection of appropriate antituberculotics depends on diagnosis!!
Selection of appropriate antituberculotics depends on diagnosis!!
Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccination
Links:
CDC
Wikipedia
Colony appearance
