• Member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
  Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
  Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex refers to a genetically closely related group of Mycobacterium species that can cause tuberculosis.It includes:* Mycobacterium tuberculosis* Mycobacterium africanum* Mycobacterium bovis...
  
   (MTBC)
• Also known as the 'Vole bacillus'
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : microtus is a genus that includes the vole
  Vole
  A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...
  
  .

Description

• Variable colony morphology, buff in colour, either rough or smooth.

• Growth on glycerol-free egg media at 37°C within 28–60 days. May adapt tolerance to glycerol.
• Sensitive to isoniazid
  Isoniazid
  Isoniazid , also known as isonicotinylhydrazine , is an organic compound that is the first-line antituberculosis medication in prevention and treatment. It was first discovered in 1912, and later in 1951 it was found to be effective against tuberculosis by inhibiting its mycolic acid...
  
  , ethambutol
  Ethambutol
  Ethambutol is a bacteriostatic antimycobacterial drug prescribed to treat tuberculosis. It is usually given in combination with other tuberculosis drugs, such as isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide....
  
  , rifampin, streptomycin
  Streptomycin
  Streptomycin is an antibiotic drug, the first of a class of drugs called aminoglycosides to be discovered, and was the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis. It is derived from the actinobacterium Streptomyces griseus. Streptomycin is a bactericidal antibiotic. Streptomycin cannot be given...
  
   and pyrazinamide
  Pyrazinamide
  Pyrazinamide is a drug used to treat tuberculosis. The drug is largely bacteriostatic, but can be bacteriocidal on actively replicating tuberculosis bacteria.-Abbreviations:...
  
  .

• A commercial hybridisation assay (AccuProbe) to identify members of the M. tuberculosis complex exists.
• All members of the M. tuberculosis complex share identical 16S rDNA and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) sequences
• But molecular differentiation is possible by gyrB sequence polymorphism

Pathogenesis

• Cause of naturally acquired generalized tuberculosis
  Tuberculosis
  Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
  
   in voles.
• Recently van Soolingen et al. reported about the first infections among humans caused by M. microti
• Losing pathogenicity on repeated subculture.
• Biosafety level
  Biosafety level
  A 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...
  
  3