''Mycobacterium phlei'' is a species of
acid-fast bacteria in the genus ''
Mycobacterium
''Mycobacterium'' is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis ('' M. tuberculosis'') and ...
''. It is characterized as one of the fast-growing mycobacteria. ''M. phlei'' has only occasionally been isolated in human infections, and patients infected with ''M. phlei'' generally respond well to anti-mycobacterial therapy. ''M. phlei'' has an unusually high
GC-content
In molecular biology and genetics, GC-content (or guanine-cytosine content) is the percentage of nitrogenous bases in a DNA or RNA molecule that are either guanine (G) or cytosine (C). This measure indicates the proportion of G and C bases out o ...
of 73%.
Description
''M. phlei'' is a
rod-shaped bacterium 1.0 to 2.0
micrometer Micrometer can mean:
* Micrometer (device), used for accurate measurements by means of a calibrated screw
* American spelling of micrometre
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; ...
s in length.
[ If grown on an ]agar
Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...
plate, ''M. phlei'' colonies appear orange to yellow in color, and predominantly dense with smooth edges, although some smaller filamentous colonies have also been described.[ Like other mycobacteria, ''M. phlei'' retains the acid-fast stain. ''M. phlei'' can grow at temperatures ranging from 28 °C to 52 °C.][
]
History
''M. phlei'' was first identified as the "Timothy Bacillus" or "Grass Bacillus I" by the German microbiologist Alfred Moëller in 1898.[
This bacterium was extensively studied by Brodie and collaborators,]
References
External links
Type strain of ''Mycobacterium phlei'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Acid-fast bacilli
phlei
Bacteria described in 1899
{{Mycobacterium-stub