Editing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (section)

{{short description|Species of pathogenic bacteria that causes tuberculosis}}
{{About|the bacterium|the infection|Tuberculosis}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=6}}
{{Update|date=December 2022}}{{speciesbox
| image             = TB_Culture.jpg
| image_caption     = ''M. tuberculosis'' colonies
| taxon             = Mycobacterium tuberculosis
| authority         = Zopf 1883
| synonyms          = Tubercle bacillus <small>[[Robert Koch|Koch]] 1882</small>
}}
[[File:Cavitary tuberculosis.jpg|thumb|''M. tuberculosis'' in the lungs, showing large [[lung cavity|cavities]] the bacteria have dissolved]]
'''''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]].<ref name="Gordon & Parish, 2018">{{cite journal | vauthors = Gordon SV, Parish T | title = Microbe Profile: Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Humanity's deadly microbial foe | journal = Microbiology | volume = 164 | issue = 4 | pages = 437–439 | date = April 2018 | pmid = 29465344 | doi = 10.1099/mic.0.000601 | doi-access = free}}</ref><ref name=Sherris>{{cite book| vauthors = Ryan KJ, Ray CG |title=Sherris Medical Microbiology : an Introduction to Infectious Diseases|date=2004|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York|isbn=978-0-83-858529-0|page=439|edition=4th|chapter=Mycobacteria}}</ref>

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]]. This coating makes the cells impervious to [[Gram staining]], and as a result, ''M. tuberculosis'' can appear weakly Gram-positive.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Fu LM, Fu-Liu CS | title = Is Mycobacterium tuberculosis a closer relative to Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacterial pathogens? | journal = Tuberculosis | volume = 82 | issue = 2–3 | pages = 85–90 | date = 2002-01-01 | pmid = 12356459 | doi = 10.1054/tube.2002.0328}}</ref> [[Acid-fastness|Acid-fast]] stains such as [[Ziehl–Neelsen stain|Ziehl–Neelsen]], or [[Fluorescence|fluorescent]] stains such as [[Auramine O|auramine]] are used instead to identify ''M. tuberculosis'' with a microscope. The physiology of ''M. tuberculosis'' is highly [[aerobic organism|aerobic]] and requires high levels of oxygen. Primarily a pathogen of the mammalian [[respiratory system]], it infects the lungs. The most frequently used diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are the [[Mantoux test|tuberculin skin test]], [[Acid-Fast Stain|acid-fast stain]], [[Microbiological culture|culture]], and [[polymerase chain reaction]].<ref name=Sherris/><ref name=":0">{{cite journal | vauthors = Cudahy P, Shenoi SV | title = Diagnostics for pulmonary tuberculosis | journal = Postgraduate Medical Journal | volume = 92 | issue = 1086 | pages = 187–193 | date = April 2016 | pmid = 27005271 | pmc = 4854647 | doi = 10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133278}}</ref>

The ''M. tuberculosis'' [[genome]] was [[sequenced]] in 1998.<ref name="Deciphering the biology of Mycobact">{{cite journal | vauthors = Cole ST, Brosch R, Parkhill J, Garnier T, Churcher C, Harris D, Gordon SV, Eiglmeier K, Gas S, Barry CE, Tekaia F, Badcock K, Basham D, Brown D, Chillingworth T, Connor R, Davies R, Devlin K, Feltwell T, Gentles S, Hamlin N, Holroyd S, Hornsby T, Jagels K, Krogh A, McLean J, Moule S, Murphy L, Oliver K, Osborne J, Quail MA, Rajandream MA, Rogers J, Rutter S, Seeger K, Skelton J, Squares R, Squares S, Sulston JE, Taylor K, Whitehead S, Barrell BG | title = Deciphering the biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from the complete genome sequence | journal = Nature | volume = 393 | issue = 6685 | pages = 537–44 | date = June 1998 | pmid = 9634230 | doi = 10.1038/31159 | bibcode = 1998Natur.393..537C | doi-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Camus JC, Pryor MJ, Médigue C, Cole ST | title = Re-annotation of the genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv | journal = Microbiology | volume = 148 | issue = Pt 10 | pages = 2967–73 | date = October 2002 | pmid = 12368430 | doi = 10.1099/00221287-148-10-2967 | doi-access = free}}</ref>