Mycobacterium terrae

Jump to navigation Jump to search
style="background:#Template:Taxobox colour;"|Mycobacterium
style="background:#Template:Taxobox colour;" | Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Actinobacteria
Order: Actinomycetales
Suborder: Corynebacterineae
Family: Mycobacteriaceae
Genus: Mycobacterium
Species: M. terrae

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Mycobacterium terrae is a slow-growing species of Mycobacterium.[1] It is an ungrouped member of the third Runyon (nonchromatogenic mycobacteria). It is known to cause serious skin infections, which are "relatively resistant to antibiotic therapy".[2]

Discovery

Richmond and Cummings were the first to isolate Mycobacterium terrae, which they described as "an acid‐fast saprophyte".[3] It is sometimes called the “radish bacillus", because it was isolated from radish water.

Pathology

This bacterium was originally injected into guinea pigs, and did not cause apparent illness, leading to the misconception that this strain was nonpathogenic. In reality, however, infection by this organism can cause disease of the joints, tendons, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary tract.[2] In humans, symptoms of infection include swelling, lesions, and inflammation, and may mimic the symptoms of osteoarthritis.[2]

Uses

This bacterium is used to study effectiveness of disinfection processes for reusable medical instruments.

Mycobacterium terrae is used during validations of reprocessing procedures of surgical instruments, more specifically as a test organism in determining disinfection efficiency. In order to establish a microbial count the extraction media is filtered and the filters are then placed onto agar plates for an incubation of up to 15 days at 37°± 2 °C. At the end of the incubation period the number of colony forming units are counted. This count is used to calculate the log reduction to determine disinfection efficiency. The Association For The Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Technical Information Report TIR30 lists acceptance criteria for this test.

Treatment

Antimicrobial regimen

  • 1. In vitro susceptibility
  • All six of the isolates from a single center and 90% or more of an additional 22 isolates of M. terrae complex were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin and Sulfonamides. Recently, 11 isolates of M. terrae complex were also shown to be susceptible to Linezolid
  • 2. Antimicrobial therapy
  • Based on in vitro susceptibility results

References

  1. Bohrerova, Z.; Linden, K.G. (November 2006). "Assessment of DNA damage and repair in Mycobacterium terrae after exposure to UV irradiation". J. Appl. Microbiol. 101 (5): 995–1001. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03023.x. PMID 17040222.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Smith, Scot (10 March 2000). "Mycobacterium terrae: Case Reports, Literature Review, and In Vitro Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing". Chicago Journals. 30 (3): 444. doi:10.1086/313693. Retrieved 12 September 2009. Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (help)
  3. Richmond L, Cummings MM. An evaluation of methods of testing the virulence of acid‐fast bacilli. Am Rev Tuberc 1950;62:632–7.
  4. Griffith, David E.; Aksamit, Timothy; Brown-Elliott, Barbara A.; Catanzaro, Antonino; Daley, Charles; Gordin, Fred; Holland, Steven M.; Horsburgh, Robert; Huitt, Gwen; Iademarco, Michael F.; Iseman, Michael; Olivier, Kenneth; Ruoss, Stephen; von Reyn, C. Fordham; Wallace, Richard J.; Winthrop, Kevin; ATS Mycobacterial Diseases Subcommittee; American Thoracic Society; Infectious Disease Society of America (2007-02-15). "An official ATS/IDSA statement: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases". American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 175 (4): 367–416. doi:10.1164/rccm.200604-571ST. ISSN 1073-449X. PMID 17277290.


Infectious Disease Project]]