What is Mycobacterium tuberculosis structure?
The cell envelope of Mtb comprises four main layers: (i) the plasma membrane or inner membrane, (ii) the peptidoglycan–arabinogalactan complex (AGP), (iii) an assymetrical outer membrane or ‘mycomembrane’, that is covalently linked to AGP through the mycolic acids, and (iv) the external capsule [22].
What is the function of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
tuberculosis are not well understood. The mycobacterial PG plays a key role in the cell’s growth, cell–cell communication and in the initiation of the host immune response.
What are the characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
M. tuberculosis is a small, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic, acid-fast bacillus 1 . Like other mycobacteria, it is slow growing, resulting in more gradual development of disease when compared with other bacterial infections. Acid-fast bacilli are bacilli, which once stained, resist discoloration by acid and alcohol.
What is the shape of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a rod-shaped bacterium that is responsible for around 10 million new infections and 1.4 million deaths per year (Pai et al., 2016).
What is the role of mycolic acid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
tuberculosis cell walls contain fatty molecules known as mycolic acids, which make the bacteria less susceptible to antibiotics. These molecules also help the bacteria to subvert and then hide from the immune system.
What is the importance of Mycobacterium?
Mycobacterium avium and other ‘opportunistic’ mycobacteria are important causes of death and disease in immunocompromized patients, including those with HIV, and many millions of people still suffer the consequences of infection by the leprosy bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae.
What is Mycobacterium tuberculosis made of?
Humans are the only reservoir for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The organism is an acid-fast, aerobic bacillus with a high cell wall content of high-molecular-weight lipids. Visible growth takes 3 to 8 weeks on solid media.
Is Mycobacterium tuberculosis aerobic or anaerobic?
obligate aerobe
M. tuberculosis is an obligate aerobe requiring oxygen for replication.
Does Mycobacterium tuberculosis have flagella?
tuberculosis bacteria don’t have flagella but they do have fine, aggregative, and flexible pili. Specifically, the type of pili Mycobacteria bacteria have are type IV and curli pili.
What does mycolic acid inhibit?
The drugs shown to inhibit mycolic acid biosynthesis are isoniazid, ethionamide, isoxyl, thiolactomycin, and triclosan. In addition, pyrazinamide was shown to inhibit fatty acid synthase type I which, in turn, provides precursors for fatty acid elongation to long-chain mycolic acids by fatty acid synthase II.