Mycobacterium ulcerans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mycobacterium ulcerans | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Bacillati |
| Phylum: | Actinomycetota |
| Class: | Actinomycetia |
| Order: | Mycobacteriales |
| Family: | Mycobacteriaceae |
| Genus: | Mycobacterium |
| Species: | M. ulcerans |
| Binomial name | |
| Mycobacterium ulcerans MacCallum et al., 1950 | |
Mycobacterium ulcerans is a species of bacteria found in various aquatic environments. The bacteria can infect humans and some other animals, causing persistent open wounds called Buruli ulcer. M. ulcerans is closely related to Mycobacterium marinum, from which it evolved around one million years ago, and more distantly to the mycobacteria which cause tuberculosis and leprosy.
Mycobacterium ulcerans are rod-shaped bacteria.[1] They appear purple ("Gram positive") under Gram stain and bright red ("acid fast") under Ziehl–Neelsen stain.[1] On laboratory media, M. ulcerans grow slowly, forming small transparent colonies after four weeks.[1] As colonies age, they develop irregular outlines and a rough, yellow surface.[1] The bacteria was discovered by Australian scientists Jean Tolhurst and Glen Buckle in the late 1940s.
