mycobacteria

American  

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

plural noun

Bacteriology.

• mycobacterium
  singular

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

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Etymology

Origin of mycobacteria

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mycobacteria mycobacterium

Among these, nontuberculous mycobacteria infections are notorious for their stubborn resistance to conventional medication and their penchant for afflicting those with existing lung diseases such as bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 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

In July, a team at the Institute Pasteur Korea in Seongnam-si discovered a compound labelled Q203 that cuts off the energy supply to mycobacteria by blocking ATP synthesis both in culture and in mice.

From Nature ● Oct. 9, 2013

Caused by bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis disease is spread through the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2024

He and his colleagues were building a library of the proteins that make up the mycobacterium that causes TB.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2023

The couple married in September 2020, but he then became ill, having contracted the bacterial infection mycobacterium chelonae.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2022

Several studies even have shown that surgical masks fail to prevent transmission of the much larger mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB.

From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2020

A report in this month’s issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases reported an outbreak of mycobacterium haemophilum, a nontuberculous mycobacterium that causes skin, joint, bone and pulmonary infections, after permanent makeup was applied to patients’ brows.

From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2011

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