Mycobacterium mageritense

Mycobacterium mageritense

Etymology: Magerit, is Arabic for Madrid, where the it was first isolated from human sputum.

Description
Gram-positive, nonmotile and strongly acid-fast rods.

Colony characteristics
 * Smooth, mucoid and nonphotochromogenic colonies.

Physiology
 * Rapid growth on Löwenstein-Jensen medium at 22°C, 30°C, 37°C and 45°C within 2-4 days.
 * Optimum growth at 30°C and 37°C.
 * Resistant to isoniazid, cycloserine, capreomycin, pyrazinamide, and thiosemicarbazone
 * Most strains are also resistant to ethambutol.

Differential characteristics
 * Characterised by unique hsp65 gene, 16S rDNA and sodA sequences. *Closely related to M. fortuitum and M. peregrinum at the DNA homology level.
 * Differentiation from M. fortuitum by its growth at 45°C and by its use of mannitol as a sole carbon source.

Pathogenesis

 * Biosafety level 1

Type Strain
Strain 938 = ATCC 700351 = CCUG 37984 = CIP 104973 = DSM 44476 = JCM 12375.
 * First isolated from human sputum in Madrid