Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Mycobacterium hiberniae
Introduction
Mycobacterium hiberniae
Etymology Hibernia, Latin for Ireland where it was first isolated.
Description
Description
Polymorphic, beaded, gram-positive, nonmotile and acid-fast rods (0.9µm x 1.2-1.5µm).
Colony characteristics
- Smooth and glistening colonies with rose-pink pigmentation but become rough and dry later. Colonies with unique pigment production are 1-1.5mm in diameter.
Physiology
- Slow growth on Löwenstein-Jensen medium and Middlebrook 7H10 agar at 37°C (range: 22-37°C). No growth at 42°C.
- Resistant to isoniazid, rifampin, and streptomycin
- Sensitive to ethambutol.
Differential characteristics
- M. hiberniae has unusual rose-pink pigmentation, which is unique in the genus Mycobacterium.
Pathogenesis
Pathogenesis
- Not pathogenic
- Provokes a nonspecific skin hypersensitivity reaction to bovine tuberculin.
- Biosafety level 1
Type Strain
Type Strain
- First isolated from true moss, sphagnum and soil in Ireland
Strain Hi 11 = ATCC 49874 = CIP 104537 = DSM 44241 = JCM 13571.
References
References
- Kazda et al. 1993. Mycobacterium hiberniae sp. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 43, 352-357.
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