mycobacteria

American  

[mahy-koh-bak-teer-ee-uh] / ˌmaɪ koʊ bækˈtɪər i ə /

plural noun

Bacteriology.

singular

mycobacterium

1. rod-shaped aerobic bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium, certain species of which, as M. tuberculosis, are pathogenic for humans and animals.

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Other Word Forms

• mycobacterial noun

Etymology

Origin of mycobacteria

First recorded in 1905–10; from New Latin, a genus name; myco-, bacteria

Example Sentences

This directionlessness also makes those with a CCR2 deficiency more susceptible to mycobacterial infections, because the macrophages can't find their way to the tissue clusters where mycobacteria take up residence, and thus digest the invaders.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024

Nontuberculous mycobacteria, which can cause lung infections, appear to be relatively common in shower heads, for instance.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2018

For example, Casanova and others have found more than a dozen mutations that disrupt the body's ability to battle non-TB mycobacteria, and all of them mess with interferon gamma—a key immune system activator.

From Scientific American • Jul. 1, 2018

The mycobacteria that cause leprosy are slow growing, and have an affinity for peripheral nerves and cooler parts of the body.

From Forbes • Mar. 6, 2015

So researchers changed their screening protocols to look for the effects compounds had on whole mycobacteria — even so, it has not been smooth sailing.

From Nature • Oct. 9, 2013