Mycobacterium gordonae
Encyclopedia
Mycobacterium gordonae is a species of Mycobacterium
named for Ruth E. Gordon.
, nonmotile and moderate to long acid-fast
rods.
Colony characteristics
Physiology
Differential characteristics
Mycobacterium
Mycobacterium is a genus of Actinobacteria, given its own family, the Mycobacteriaceae. The genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis and leprosy...
named for Ruth E. Gordon.
Description
Gram-positiveGram-positive
Gram-positive bacteria are those that are stained dark blue or violet by Gram staining. This is in contrast to Gram-negative bacteria, which cannot retain the crystal violet stain, instead taking up the counterstain and appearing red or pink...
, nonmotile and moderate to long acid-fast
Acid-fast
Acid-fastness is a physical property of certain bacteria, specifically their resistance to decolorization by acids during staining procedures.Acid-fast organisms are difficult to characterize using standard microbiological techniques Acid-fastness is a physical property of certain bacteria,...
rods.
- Commonly found in tap water and soil. Casual resident in human sputumSputumSputum is mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways. It is usually used for microbiological investigations of respiratory infections....
and gastric lavageGastric lavageGastric lavage, also commonly called stomach pumping or Gastric irrigation, is the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach. It has been used for over 200 years as a means of eliminating poisons from the stomach. Such devices are normally used on a person who has ingested a poison or...
specimens.
Colony characteristics
- Smooth, with yellow or orange scotochromogenicScotochromogenicScotochromogenic bacteria develop pigment in the dark or in the light. Runyon Group II nontuberculous mycobacteria are examples but the term could apply to many other organisms....
colonies. Even though they are scotochromogenicScotochromogenicScotochromogenic bacteria develop pigment in the dark or in the light. Runyon Group II nontuberculous mycobacteria are examples but the term could apply to many other organisms....
pigment is intensified by growing in continuous light.
Physiology
- Growth on Löwenstein-Jensen medium and Middlebrook 7H10Middlebrook 7H10 AgarMiddlebrook 7H10 Agar is a solid growth medium specially used for culture of Mycobacterium, notably Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It has been reported that the 7H10 medium tends to grow fewer contaminants than the egg-based media commonly used for the cultivation of mycobacteria.- Composition :*...
agar within 7 or more days at 37°C (optimal 25°C). - Does not grow in the presence of ethambutol (1 mg/l), isoniazid (10 mg/l) and sodium chloride (5%).
Differential characteristics
- A commercial hybridisation assay (AccuProbe) to identify M. gordonae exists.
- Intraspecies variability in 16S rDNA sequences
Pathogenesis
- Rarely if ever implicated in disease processes unless patients are immunocompromised.
- Biosafety levelBiosafety levelA biosafety level is the level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 to the highest at level 4 . In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and...
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