Mycobacterium aichiense

Mycobacterium aichiense is a yellow-orange scotochromogenic, rapidly growing mycobacterium first isolated from soil and human sputum in Japan. It has not been formally associated with disease in humans.

Description
Microscopy
 * Gram-positive, nonmotile and acid-fast rods less than 2µm. Acid-fast in young cultures but may lose acid-fastness on prolonged culture.

Colony characteristics
 * Yellow-orange scotochromogenic colonies.

Physiology
 * Grows at 25-37°C, not at 45°C, in 3-4 days or less
 * Acid phosphatase and arylsulfatase (3 days) is positive.
 * Negative for nitrate reduction, isonicotinamidase, and citrate utilisation.
 * Does not grow in the presence of hydroxylamine HCl (500mg/l) and does not degrade PAS.

Pathogenesis

 * Not associated with disease.

Type Strain

 * First isolated in Japan from soil and human sputum.
 * Strain 49005 (previously, strain 5545) = ATCC 27280 = CIP 106808 = DSM 44147 = JCM 6376 = LMG 19259 = NCTC 10820.