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; see origin at myco-, bacteria

Example Sentences

Ozeki et al., expressed MDP1 in two different hosts: M. smegmatis, a non-pathogenic, fast-growing mycobacteria, and E. coli.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 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

Sutezolid, a drug that prevents mycobacteria from making proteins, looked promising in mouse studies, but Pfizer had frozen its development at that stage.

From Nature • Oct. 9, 2013