''Mycobacterium haemophilum'' is a species of the phylum

Actinomycetota The ''Actinomycetota'' (or ''Actinobacteria'') are a phylum of all gram-positive bacteria. They can be terrestrial or aquatic. They are of great economic importance to humans because agriculture and forests depend on their contributions to s ...

(

Gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive bact ...

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

with high guanine and cytosine content, one of the dominant phyla of all bacteria), belonging to the genus '' Mycobacterium''.

Description

Short, occasionally curved,

gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive bact ...

, nonmotile and strongly

acid-fast Acid-fastness is a physical property of certain bacterial and eukaryotic cells, as well as some sub-cellular structures, specifically their resistance to decolorization by acids during laboratory staining procedures. Once stained as part of a sam ...

rods. Colony characteristics *Nonpigmented and rough to smooth colonies. Physiology *Media have to be supplemented with 0.4%

haemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyte ...

or 60 μM

hemin Hemin (haemin; ferric chloride heme) is an iron-containing porphyrin with chlorine that can be formed from a heme group, such as heme B found in the hemoglobin of human blood. Chemistry Hemin is protoporphyrin IX containing a ferric iron (Fe3 ...

(factor X) or 15 mg/ml ferric ammonium citrate respectively, but not with FeCl₃ or catalase. *Slow growth on Löwenstein–Jensen medium or Middlebrook 7H10 agar at 32 °C within 2 to 4 weeks. *Growth slower at 25 °C and 35 °C and absent at 37 °C. *Strictly intracellular growth in tissue cultures of fibroblasts. Differential characteristics *Unique among mycobacteria in its requirement for

or ferric ammonium citrate for growth. Distribution.

Pathogenesis

*Infects patients with suppressed

immune systems The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinters, ...

. *Clinical presentation: multiple skin nodules occurring in clusters or without definitive pattern, commonly involving the extremities.

Abscesses An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends ...

, draining

fistula A fistula (plural: fistulas or fistulae ; from Latin ''fistula'', "tube, pipe") in anatomy is an abnormal connection between two hollow spaces (technically, two epithelialized surfaces), such as blood vessels, intestines, or other hollow or ...

s and

osteomyelitis Osteomyelitis (OM) is an infection of bone. Symptoms may include pain in a specific bone with overlying redness, fever, and weakness. The long bones of the arms and legs are most commonly involved in children e.g. the femur and humerus, while the ...

may be associated with the nodules. Paediatric patients with localised

cervical In anatomy, cervical is an adjective that has two meanings: # of or pertaining to any neck. # of or pertaining to the female cervix: i.e., the ''neck'' of the uterus. *Commonly used medical phrases involving the neck are **cervical collar **cerv ...

lymphadenopathy. * Biosafety level 2

Type strain

First isolated in Israel from a subcutaneous granuloma from a patient with Hodgkin's disease. An environmental reservoir is presumed. Strain ATCC 29548 = CCUG 47452 = CIP 105049 = DSM 44634 = NCTC 11185.

Notes

References

External links

Type strain of ''Mycobacterium haemophilum'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Acid-fast bacilli haemophilum Bacteria described in 1978 {{Mycobacterium-stub