''Mycobacterium phlei'' is a species of

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 ...

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 ...

in the genus '' Mycobacterium''. 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 of 73%.

Description

''M. phlei'' is a

rod-shaped A bacillus (), also called a bacilliform bacterium or often just a rod (when the context makes the sense clear), is a rod-shaped bacterium or archaeon. Bacilli are found in many different taxonomic groups of bacteria. However, the name '' Baci ...

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 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. The following year, the bacterium was given its current name by Karl Bernhard Lehmann and Rudolf Otto Neumann. This bacterium was extensively studied by Brodie and collaborators, in connection with the metabolism and role of vitamin K2.

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