Mycobacteria TB, is a causative agent of Tuberculosis. Characteristics: Morphology : Organism is rod shaped, thin and commonly straight, but may be found in bent or club shaped appearance. They appear in the form of microscopic "serpentine cords" They are not encapsulated.. They are non motile They don't form spores. Staining : They are not stained by ordinary Gram staining technique. The are stained by Ziehl-Nelson Staining. it is also called acid fast staining. one of the characteristic of mycobacterium is that it retain dye even after washing with alcohol. Growth Characteristics. These are obligate aerobes that is why the infect highly oxygenated tissues like lungs, kidney brain etc. They use carbon compounds as a source of energy. the optimum temperature is 37 degree centigrade. Growth is inhibited by heat or pasteurization. Growth is increased by 5 - 10 percent carbondioxide. Doubling time is 18 hours. They are resistant ...
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