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Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), also known as Koch's bacillus, is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch , M. tuberculosis has an unusual, waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid .
M. tuberculosis is able to reproduce inside the macrophage and will eventually kill the immune cell. The primary site of infection in the lungs, known as the Ghon focus, is generally located in either the upper part of the lower lobe, or the lower part of the upper lobe. [13] Tuberculosis of the lungs may also occur via infection from the blood ...
Ghon's complex is a lesion seen in the lung that is caused by tuberculosis. [1] [2] The lesions consist of a Ghon focus along with pulmonary lymphadenopathy within a nearby pulmonary lymph node. A Ghon's complex retains viable bacteria, making them sources of long-term infection, which may reactivate and trigger secondary tuberculosis later in ...
A definitive diagnosis of tuberculosis can only be made by culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms from a specimen taken from the patient (most often sputum, but may also include pus, CSF, biopsied tissue, etc.). [1] A diagnosis made other than by culture may only be classified as "probable" or "presumed".
Most attention have been traditionally devoted to the mycolic acids of Mycobacterium species, which display great variation in length and modifications. Modifications not seen in M. tuberculosis include: [9] Double bonds (cis and trans), in M. smegmatis (with a branch from UmaA1) and M. alvei; ω-1 methoxy, in M. alvei; trans-epoxy group, in M ...
Tuberculosis creates cavities visible in x-rays like this one in the patient's right upper lobe.. A posterior-anterior (PA) chest X-ray is the standard view used; other views (lateral or lordotic) or CT scans may be necessary.
Cord factor, or trehalose dimycolate (TDM), is a glycolipid molecule found in the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and similar species. It is the primary lipid found on the exterior of M. tuberculosis cells. [1] Cord factor influences the arrangement of M. tuberculosis cells into long and slender formations, giving its name. [2]
The medium must be incubated for a significant length of time, usually four weeks, due to the slow doubling time of M. tuberculosis (15–20 hours) compared with other bacteria. The medium is named after the Austrian pathologist Ernst Löwenstein (1878–1950) and the Danish medical doctor Kai Adolf Jensen (16.7.1894-2.5.1971).