mycobacteria

American  

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

plural noun

Bacteriology.

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

Derived 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

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

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