FAMILY MYCOBACTERIACEAE 



879 



of glycerol. The human variety gen- 

 erally develops yellow to red pigment 

 on serum media, while the bovine variety 

 never produces pigment. Antigenically 

 the two varieties are not distinguishable. 



Source : From tuberculous lesions in 

 man. 



Habitat : The cause of tuberculosis 

 in man. Transmissible to rabbits and 

 guinea pigs. 



lb. Mycohacterium tuberculosis var. 

 bovis Lehmann and Neumann. (Bovine 

 tubercle bacilli, Th. Smith, Trans. 

 Assoc. Am. Phys., 11, 1896, 75; 13, 1898, 

 417; Jour. Exp. Med., 3, 1898, 451; 

 M)jcobacterium tuberculosis typus bo- 

 vimis Lehmann and Neumann, Bakt. 

 Diag., 4 Aufl., 2, 1907, 550.) From Latin 

 bovis, of the ox. 



Common name : Bovine tubercle ba- 

 cillus. 



Description from Th. Smith {loc. cit.) 

 and Topley and Wilson (Princip. of 

 Bact. and Immun., 2nd ed., 1936, 315). 



Rods which are shorter and plumper 

 than the human type. Range in size 

 from 1.0 to 1.5 microns. Very short 

 forms are frequently intermixed with 

 somewhat larger forms. Stain regularly 

 or irregularly. Acid-fast and acid-alco- 

 hol-fast. Gram-positive. Less easily 

 cultivated than the human variety. 



Nutrient agar : No growth. 



Glycerol agar colonies : Small, irregular, 

 with granular surface, no pigment. 



Glycerol agar slant: After 4 weeks, 

 thin, granular or effuse, confluent growth. 



Nutrient broth: No growth. 



Glycerol broth: After 8 weeks, thin 

 grayish-white film, slightly nodular, no 

 turbidity. Slight granular deposit. 



Dorset's egg slants: After 4 weeks, 

 similar to var. hominis but generally 

 poorer growth and no pigmentation. 



Glycerol egg slants: After 4 weeks, 

 similar to Dorset's egg slants. 



Coagulated beef serum: After 4 weeks, 

 thin, effuse, confluent, white to gray 

 growth with very fine granular surface. 



Generally less luxuriant than in the 

 human variety. 



Glycerol beef serum: After 4 weeks, 

 similar to plain beef serum. 



Glycerol potato : After 4 weeks, thin, 

 effuse, grayish growth. 



Litmus milk : Growth, but no change in 

 the milk. 



Optimum temperature 37°C. 



Optimum pH 5.8 to 6.9 (Ishimori, 

 Ztschr. f. Hyg., 102, 1924, 329) ; 6.0 to 6.5 

 (Dernby and Naslund, Biochem. Zeit., 

 132, 1922, 392). 



Pathogenicity : Produces tuberculosis 

 in ox, man, monkey, goat, sheep, pig, 

 cat, parrot, cockatoo and possibly some 

 birds of prey. Experimentally, it is 

 highly pathogenic for rabbit and guinea 

 pig, slightly pathogenic for dog, horse, 

 rat and mouse; not pathogenic for fowls. 



Variation: See Mycobacterium tubercu- 

 losis var. hominis. 



Antigenic structure : See Mycobacte- 

 rium tuberculosis var. hominis. 



Distinctive characters : See Mycobac- 

 terium tuberculosis var. hominis. 



Source: From tubercles in cattle. 



Habitat : The cause of tuberculosis in 

 cattle. Transmissible to man and do- 

 mestic animals. More highly pathogenic 

 for animals than the human type. 



2. Mycobacterium avium Chester. 

 (Tuberculose des oiseaux, Strauss and 

 Gamaleia, Arch. Med. exp. et Anat. 

 path., 1891; Bacillus der Hiihnertu- 

 berculose, Maffucci, Ztschr. f. Hygiene, 

 11, 1892, 449; Bacillus tuberculosis gal- 

 linarum Sternberg, Man. of Bact., 1893, 

 392; Mycobacterium tuberculosis avium 

 Lehmann and Neumann, Bakt. Diag., 1 

 Aufl., /, 1896, 370; Bacillus tuberculosis 

 avium Kruse, in Fliigge, Die Mikro- 

 organismen, 3 Aufl., 2, 1896, 506; Myco- 

 bacterium avium Chester, Manual 

 Determ. Bact., 1901, 357; Mycobacterium 

 tuberculosis typus gallinaccus Lehmann 

 and Neumann, Bakt. Diag., 4 Aufl., 2, 

 1907, 553.) From Latin avis, bird. 



Common name : Avian tubercle ba- 

 cillus. 



