Mycobacterium alvei

Mycobacterium alvei

Description
Gram-positive, nonmotile and acid-fast rods (1-3µm x 0.5-0.7µm).

Colony characteristics
 * Colonies are eugonic, rough and nonpigmented.

Physiology
 * Colonies occur within 5 days at 30°C (optimum temperature, no growth at 45°C) on Löwenstein-Jensen medium and on Middlebrook 7H10 agar.
 * The type strain is resistant to D-cycloserine, streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampin, and thiacetazone
 * The type strain is susceptible to kanamycin, capreomycin and high levels of isoniazid.

Differential characteristics
 * Differentiation from all other mycobacterial species by its unusual mycolate pattern.

Pathogenesis

 * Not associated with disease.
 * Biosafety level 1

Type Strain
First isolated from water samples, from soil and human sputum samples in Spain. Strain CR-21 = ATCC 51304 = CIP 103464 = DSM 44176 = JCM 12272.