Mycobacterium komossense

Mycobacterium komossense

Description
Gram-positive, nonmotile, short to moderately long and acid-fast rods.

Colony characteristics
 * Eugonic, smooth, glistening and yellow-beige pigmented colonies. On Middlebrook 7H10 agar 0.5-2mm in diameter with entire margins.

Physiology
 * Growth on Löwenstein-Jensen media and Middlebrook 7H10 agar at temperatures between 22°C-37°C in less than 7 days.
 * Optimal growth at 31°C, no growth at 45°C.

Differential characteristics
 * Uniqueness of species supported by antigenic analysis (immunodiffusion) and specific lipid patterns.
 * A numerical taxonomy comparison showed close relationship to Mycobacterium aichiense.

Pathogenesis

 * Not known to be pathogenic in animals or humans.
 * Biosafety level 1

Type Strain
Strain Ko 2 = ATCC 33013 = CIP 105293 = DSM 44078 = HAMBI 2279 = HAMBI 2280 = JCM 12408.
 * First isolated from intact sphagnum vegetation in the Komosse sphagnum bog in southern Sweden and Atlantic coastal area of Norway.