MYCOBACTERIA

DR. WILSON R. DELOS REYES JR

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Koch’s bacillus
Mycobacterium bovis
Mycobacterium africanum
Mycobacterium canetti
Mycobacterium microti
 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Longest replication time
• Virulence factor: Cord factor
• Culture:: slow-growing; buff color; raised and dry;
“CAULIFLOWER-LIKE APPEARANCE”. Rough
colonies exhibit “cording” (Curve strands bacilli)
• Biochemical Test: (+) Niacin and Nitrate reduction
• Replication time: 20 to 22 hrs

Mycobacterium bovis
• Tuberculosis in human and animals (cattle, dogs,
cat and swine)
• Attenuated strain used for vaccination (Bacillus-
Calmette-Guerin or BCG vaccine)
• Culture: Slow-growing, small, granular, rounded
and non pigmented
• Biochemical Test: (-) Niacin and Nitrate reduction
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CORDING

BCG

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 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
Mycobacterium africanum
• Associated human cases of tuberculosis in
tropical Africa
• Detection of organism requires the use of
spoligotyping (spacer oligotyping)

Mycobacterium canetti
• Smooth strain of M. tuberculosis
• Grows more rapidly than M. tuberculosis (6 days)
• Isolated from an AIDS patient with mesenteric
tuberculosis
• Biochemical Test: (+) Niacin and Nitrate reduction

Mycobacterium microti
• Isolated from TB patients both
immunocompromised and immunocompetent
individuals
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Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria
Group I: Photochromogens
Group II: Scotochromogens
Group III: Non-Photochromogens
Group IV: Rapid Growers
 NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA: SLOW GROWERS
Mycobacterium avium complex
• Specie: M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. avium subsp.
Paratuberculosis and M. avium subsp. silvaticum
(wood pigeon bacillus)
• Most common cause of Pulmonary infection to human,
pathogen in AIDS.
• GI tract: most common site of colonization and
dissemination in AIDS.
• Microscopy: Pleomorphic, short coccobacilli without
beading; (+) PAS
• Biochemical: (+) Heat stable catalase
Mycobacterium kansasii (Yellow bacillus)
• Second to M. avium complex to cause NTM lung
disease (Chronic cavitary pulmonary leasion)
• Not contagious from person to person
• Microscopy: Long rods with distinct crossbanding
• Culture: MB7H10: smooth to rough with dark centers
and waxy edges
• Photochromogens: Dark red crystals of 10-B-
carotene 7
 NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA: SLOW GROWERS
Mycobacterium marinum
• Disease of fishes and isolated from aquariums
• Causative agent: “Swimming pool granuloma”: red or
bluish red nodule on the elbow, knee, toe or finger.
Occurs when an open wound comes in contact with
contaminated chlorinated fresh water or salt water
• Natural Reservoir: Fresh water and salt water
• Microscopy: Long rods with cross barring
• Culture: smooth to tough, wrinkled, yellow

Mycobacterium ulcerans
• Third most common Mycobacterium species after M.
tuberculosis and M. leprae
• Cause: Buruli ulcer (painless nodule under the skin
after previous trauma)
• Microscopy: Moderately long rods without cross-
banding
• Culture: smooth, rough and non-pigmented (6-12
weeks incubation 8
• Biochemical Test: (+) Heat stable catalase
 NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA: SLOW GROWERS
Mycobacterium gordonae (Tap water Bacillus)
• Contaminates the tap water used by the patients in
rinsing their mouths prior to the procedure for sputum
collection.
• Rarely cause infection to human
• Culture: Smooth and yellowish-orange colored
• Biochemical: (+) Tween 80 hydrolysis and heat-stable
catalase, (-) nitrate reduction

Mycobacterium xenopi
• Recovered from hot and cold water taps, hospital
storage tanks
• Potential pathogen of pulmonary infection in adults
• Non-photochromogenic and scotochromogenic
• Microscopy: Long and filamentous
• Culture: MB7H10: small with filamentous edges
• Cornmeal glycerol agar: branching filaments
• Growth: 42 C 9
• Biochemical: (+) heat stable catalase, pyrazinamidase
 NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA: SLOW GROWERS
Mycobacterium terrae complex
• Normally saphrophytic and rarely causes human M. triviale
infections
• Species: M. terrae, M. triviale and M.
nonchromogenicum
• Microscopy: Short to medium coccobacilli
• Culture:
• M. triviale: rough and dry
• M. terrae: smooth
• M. nonchromogenicum: smooth to rough and white to
buff
• Biochemical test: (+) Tween 80 hydrolysis and heat
stable catalase, (+) growth in 5% NaCl (M. terrae) M. terrae

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Specie Microscopy Culture Biochemical test Distinguishing
Features
M. asiaticum Acid-fast coccoid Dysgonic smooth (+) High level of heat Saphrophytes; rarely
cells and pigmented stable catalase cause human
colonies infections
M. genavense Distintc acid-fast Dysgonic colonies; (+)semi-quantitative Fastidious; Do not
cells requires an and heat stable grow on routine
extended incubation catalase; media; recovered in
(6-8 weeks) (+) Pyrazinamidase BACTEC culture
M. haemophilum Distinct acid-fast Rough to smooth Requires
cells; short or and non-pigmented; hemoglobin or
curved, without The recommended hemin for growth
beading, appears media include CA,
clusters or cords MHA, with 5% Fildes
enrichement, LJ
medium with 2%
ferric ammonium
citrate
M. malmoense Short coccobacilli Non-pigmented, (+) Tween 80 Growth at 22C
without crossbands smooth, glistening hydrolysis, heat- requires 7 to 12
and opaque colonies stable catalase and 11
weeks of incubation
with dense centers pyrazinamidase
 OTHER NTM-SLOW GROWERS
Specie Microscopy Culture Biochemical test Distinguishing
Features
M. simiae Short coccobacilli Filamentous (+) Niacin and high One of the very few
colonies; yellow and level of heat stable NTM that produces
smooth colonies catalase niacin
after extended
incubation
M. scrofulaceum Medium to long rods Light yellow to deep (+) High-level,
orange colonies with heatstable catalase
dense centers and urease
M. szulgai Medium to long rods Yellow to orange (+) Heat stable
with cross barring and smooth to rough catalase
colonies

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Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria
Group IV: Rapid Growers
 NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA: FAST GROWERS
Mycobacterium fortuitum
• Most common, rapidly growing mycobacteria that are
associated with localized cutaneous and soft tissue
infections
• Microscopy: Pleomhorpic – long to short, thick rods
• OLD CULTURES: partially AFB
• Cultures:
• A. MB7H11: branching and filamentous with aerial
hyphae
• B. MAC: growth in media without CRYSTAL VIOLET

Mycobacterium chelonae
• Associated with cutaneous infections in
immunocompromised persons
• Exhibits greater resistance to antimicrobial agents
• Microscopy: Strongly acid-fast with pleomorphism in
young cultures
• Culture: Rough to smooth, non-pigmented and have no
filamentous branchings
• MAC: growth without crystal violet 15
 NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA: FAST GROWERS
Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus
• Reservoir: Tap water
• Related infection: Chronic lung disease and Otitis
media
• Culture: MAC – exhibit growth in a medium without
CRYSTAL VIOLET
• Biochemical: (+) 3 day arysulfatase; (-) Nitrate
reduction

Mycobacterium smegmatis
• Related infections: Pulmonary, skin and bone
infections
• Microscopy: Long and tapered rods with partial acid-
fastness; maybe beaded or ovoid in form
• CULTURE:
• MB7H10: smooth or rough
• Culture: MAC – exhibit growth in a medium without
CRYSTAL VIOLET
• Biochemical: (-) 3 day arysulfatase; (+) Nitrate 16
reduction
Mycobacterium leprae
 Mycobacterium leprae
• Chronic skin disease, mucous membrane and nerve Tuberculoid Lepromatous
tissue
• Not considered contagious disease Distribution Localized and Disseminated
• MOT: Person to person contact through inhalation benign and malignant
(nasal secretions), Contact with infected skin,
arthropod bites and ingestion of breast milk and Cell-mediate Effective Ineffective
immune
transplacental transmission for infants
• Forms: Tuberculoid and Lepromatous Leprosy
response
Symptoms Skin lesions and Facial and nasal
nerve damages deformities
Laboratory Diagnosis
1. ACID-FAST STAINING (Biopsy) Lepromine skin Positive Negative
2. CULTURE: Footpads of Mice, definitive Tests test
3. Serological Test:
A. Fluorescent leprosy antibody absorption test
B. DNA amplification
C. ELISA
4. Heat stable catalase: Negative

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 Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at:
▪ wrdelosreyes@fatima.edu.ph

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