Mycobacterium

(mī″kō-bak-tir′ē-ŭm )

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[ myco- + bacterium ]
A genus of slender, acid-fast, nonmotile, non-spore-forming bacilli of the family Mycobacteriaceae, which includes the causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy. Species include M. africanum, M. avium intracellulare, M. bovis, M. chelonei, M. fortuitum, M. gastri, M. gordonae, M. kansasii, M. marinum, M. scrofulaceum, M. terrae, M. triviale, M. smegmatis, and M. xenopi.

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