Mycobacterium heckeshornense
Taxonomy
Morphology
Cultural characteristics
Biochemical characters
Ecology
Pathogenicity
References
Phylum Actinobacteria, Class Actinobacteria, Order Actinomycetales, Suborder Corynebacterineae, Family Mycobacteriaceae, Genus
Mycobacterium,
Mycobacterium heckeshornense Roth et al. 2001.
Acid-fast short rods, occasionally pleomorphic, without branching. Gram-stain-positive.
Non-motile. Non-spore-forming.
Colonies are small, smooth, round, and scotochromogenic with a yellow color,
appearing after 4 weeks incubation. Better growth is observed on Middlebrook agar
and broth media than on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Temperature range for growth
is 37-45 ºC; optimal growth is at 42 ºC; does not grow at 50 ºC. No growth on media
supplemented with 5% (w/v) NaCl.
Isolated from sputum and bronchoscopy samples. Resistant to isoniazid (1 µg/ml).
Can produce lung disease and tenosynovitis.
  1. John G. Magee and Alan C. Ward 2012. Family III. Mycobacteriaceae Chester 1897, 63AL in Bergey’s Manual of Systematic
    Bacteriology, Volume Five The Actinobacteria, Part A, Michael Goodfellow & al. (editors), 312-375.
  2. Roth A, Reischl U, Schonfeld N, Naumann L, Emler S, Fischer M, Mauch H, Loddenkemper R, Kroppenstedt RM. Mycobacterium
    heckeshornense sp. nov., A new pathogenic slowly growing Mycobacterium sp. Causing cavitary lung disease in an
    immunocompetent patient. J Clin Microbiol 2000; 38:4102-4107.
  3. Coitinho C, Greif G, van Ingen J, Laserra P, Robello C, Rivas C. First case of Mycobacterium heckeshornense cavitary lung
    disease in the Latin America and Caribbean region. New Microbes New Infect. 2015;9:63–65. Published 2015 Dec 18. doi:
    10.1016/j.nmni.2015.12.003
Positive results for heat-stable catalase (68 ºC).

Negative results for arylsulfatase (3, 7 and 10 days), semi-quantitative catalase, nitrate reduction, niacin production, acetamidase,
allantoinase, benzamidase, nicotinamidase, pyrazinamidase, succinamidase, Tween 80  hydrolysis, and urease.
(c) Costin Stoica
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