Mycobacterium terrae

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Mycobacterium terrae
Scientific classification
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M. terrae
Binomial name
Mycobacterium terrae

Mycobacterium terrae is a slow-growing species of Mycobacterium . [1] It is an ungrouped member of the third Runyon (nonchromatogenic mycobacteria). It is known to cause serious skin infections, which are "relatively resistant to antibiotic therapy". [2]

Contents

Discovery

Richmond and Cummings were the first to isolate Mycobacterium terrae, which they described as "an acid‐fast saprophyte". [3] It is sometimes called the “radish bacillus", because it was isolated from radish water.

Pathology

This bacterium was originally injected into guinea pigs, and did not cause apparent illness, leading to the misconception that this strain was nonpathogenic. In reality, however, infection by this organism can cause disease of the joints, tendons, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary tract. [2] In humans, symptoms of infection include swelling, lesions, and inflammation, and may mimic the symptoms of osteoarthritis. [2]

Uses

This bacterium is used to study effectiveness of disinfection processes for reusable medical instruments.

Mycobacterium terrae is used during validations of reprocessing procedures of surgical instruments, more specifically as a test organism in determining disinfection efficiency. In order to establish a microbial count the extraction media is filtered and the filters are then placed onto agar plates for an incubation of up to 21 days at 37°± 2 °C. At the end of the incubation period the number of colony forming units are counted. This count is used to calculate the log reduction to determine disinfection efficiency. The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Technical Information Report TIR30 lists acceptance criteria for this test.

Related Research Articles

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<i>Mycobacterium</i> Genus of bacteria

Mycobacterium is a genus of Actinomycetota, given its own family, the Mycobacteriaceae. Over 190 species are recognized in this genus. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis and leprosy in humans. The Greek prefix myco- means 'fungus', alluding to the way mycobacteria have been observed to grow in a mold-like fashion on the surface of cultures. It is acid-fast and cannot be stained by the Gram stain procedure.

<i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> Species of bacterium

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<i>Mycobacterium leprae</i> Bacterium that causes leprosy

Mycobacterium leprae is a bacterium that causes Hansen’s disease (leprosy), which is a chronic infectious disease that damages the peripheral nerves and targets the skin, eyes, nose, and muscles. It has also been known as the leprosy bacillus or Hansen's bacillus. Leprosy can occur at all ages from infancy to elderly, but is curable in which treatments can avert disabilities. It was discovered in 1873 by the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, who was searching for the bacteria in the skin nodules of patients with leprosy. It was the first bacterium to be identified as causing disease in humans.

<i>Serratia marcescens</i> Species of bacterium

Serratia marcescens is a species of rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria in the family Yersiniaceae. It is a facultative anaerobe and an opportunistic pathogen. It was discovered in 1819 by Bartolomeo Bizio in Padua, Italy. S. marcescens is commonly involved in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), particularly catheter-associated bacteremia, urinary tract infections, and wound infections, and is responsible for 1.4% of HAI cases in the United States. It is commonly found in the respiratory and urinary tracts of hospitalized adults and in the gastrointestinal systems of children.

<i>Proteus vulgaris</i> Species of bacterium

Proteus vulgaris is a rod-shaped, nitrate-reducing, indole-positive and catalase-positive, hydrogen sulfide-producing, Gram-negative bacterium that inhabits the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. It can be found in soil, water, and fecal matter. It is grouped with the Morganellaceae and is an opportunistic pathogen of humans. It is known to cause wound infections and other species of its genera are known to cause urinary tract infections.

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Coliform bacteria

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<i>Moraxella catarrhalis</i> Species of bacterium

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Antibiotic sensitivity testing Microbiology test used in medicine

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Respiratory tract infection Infectious disease affecting nose, throat and lungs

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Medical microbiology Branch of medical science concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases

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<i>Mycobacterium abscessus</i> Species of bacterium

Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC) is a group of rapidly growing, multidrug-resistant, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species that are common soil and water contaminants. Although M. abscessus complex most commonly causes chronic lung infection and skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), the complex can also cause infection in almost all human organs, mostly in patients with suppressed immune systems. Amongst NTM species responsible for disease, infection caused by M. abscessus complex are more difficult to treat due to antimicrobial drug resistance.

<i>Mycobacterium cosmeticum</i> Species of bacterium

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<i>Mycobacterium kansasii</i> Species of bacterium

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Pseudomonas oryzihabitans is a nonfermenting yellow-pigmented, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that can cause sepsis, peritonitis, endophthalmitis, and bacteremia. It is an opportunistic pathogen of humans and warm-blooded animals that is commonly found in several environmental sources, from soil to rice paddies. They can be distinguished from other nonfermenters by their negative oxidase reaction and aerobic character. This organism can infect individuals that have major illnesses, including those undergoing surgery or with catheters in their body. Based on the 16S RNA analysis, these bacteria have been placed in the Pseudomonas putida group.

Enterococcus faecium is a Gram-positive, gamma-hemolytic or non-hemolytic bacterium in the genus Enterococcus. It can be commensal in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, but it may also be pathogenic, causing diseases such as neonatal meningitis or endocarditis.

Pathogenic bacteria Disease-causing bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. This article focuses on the bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. Most species of bacteria are harmless and are often beneficial but others can cause infectious diseases. The number of these pathogenic species in humans is estimated to be fewer than a hundred. By contrast, several thousand species are part of the gut flora present in the digestive tract.

References

  1. Bohrerova, Z.; Linden, K.G. (November 2006). "Assessment of DNA damage and repair in Mycobacterium terrae after exposure to UV irradiation". J. Appl. Microbiol. 101 (5): 995–1001. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03023.x . PMID   17040222.
  2. 1 2 3 Smith, D. Scott; Lindholm-Levy, Pamela; Huitt, Gwen A.; Heifets, Leonid B.; Cook, James L. (2000). "Mycobacterium terrae: Case Reports, Literature Review, and in vitro Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing". Clinical Infectious Diseases . Oxford University Press. 30 (3): 444–53. doi:10.1086/313693. ISSN   1058-4838. JSTOR   4461065. PMID   10722426.
  3. Richmond, L.; Cummings, MM. (1950). "An evaluation of methods of testing the virulence of acid-fast bacilli". American Review of Tuberculosis . 62 (6): 632–7. ISSN   1535-4970. PMID   14799779.