mycobacterium
noun
my·co·bac·te·ri·um
ˌmī-kō-bak-ˈtir-ē-əm 
: any of a genus (Mycobacterium) of nonmotile aerobic acid-fast bacteria that include numerous saprophytes and the pathogens causing tuberculosis and leprosy
Examples of mycobacterium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Caused by bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis disease is spread through the air.
—
Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
There is a bacterium, a distant cousin of tuberculosis, called mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which can cause coughing, shortness of breath and phlegm production.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 6 Apr. 2023
Scientists took a closer look at the growth in the lab and discovered that the child had a rare infection with Mycobacterium marinum, a non-tuberculous mycobacterium that more commonly causes a tuberculosis-like illness in fish.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 31 Mar. 2023
Probiotics have generally been regarded as safe, and most trials have confirmed this, but there is not long-term data on using probiotics for an extended period of time, such as the one or two years that people with mycobacterium avium complex typically are treated with antibiotics.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 25 Apr. 2022
Densely packed urban settings, a lack of ventilation, smog, and squalor proved to be an ideal smorgasbord for history’s deadliest mycobacterium.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2021
Serious pathogens commonly found in plumbing include mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which can lead to turberculois, and pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes a wide variety of diseases including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.
—Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 25 June 2021
Indeed, this infection, caused by a cousin of tuberculosis, mycobacterium marinum (M.M.), is sometimes called fish handlers’ disease.
—New York Times, 16 Dec. 2020
In 2012, for example, Dávalos used shotgun proteomics —a type of protein analysis common in cancer medicine—to help Corthals identify a previously unsequenced mycobacterium in a 500-year-old Andean Inca mummy.
—Eleanor Cummins, National Geographic, 4 Dec. 2020
Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
There is a bacterium, a distant cousin of tuberculosis, called mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which can cause coughing, shortness of breath and phlegm production.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 6 Apr. 2023
Scientists took a closer look at the growth in the lab and discovered that the child had a rare infection with Mycobacterium marinum, a non-tuberculous mycobacterium that more commonly causes a tuberculosis-like illness in fish.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 31 Mar. 2023
Probiotics have generally been regarded as safe, and most trials have confirmed this, but there is not long-term data on using probiotics for an extended period of time, such as the one or two years that people with mycobacterium avium complex typically are treated with antibiotics.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 25 Apr. 2022
Densely packed urban settings, a lack of ventilation, smog, and squalor proved to be an ideal smorgasbord for history’s deadliest mycobacterium.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2021
Serious pathogens commonly found in plumbing include mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which can lead to turberculois, and pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes a wide variety of diseases including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.
—Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 25 June 2021
Indeed, this infection, caused by a cousin of tuberculosis, mycobacterium marinum (M.M.), is sometimes called fish handlers’ disease.
—New York Times, 16 Dec. 2020
In 2012, for example, Dávalos used shotgun proteomics —a type of protein analysis common in cancer medicine—to help Corthals identify a previously unsequenced mycobacterium in a 500-year-old Andean Inca mummy.
—Eleanor Cummins, National Geographic, 4 Dec. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mycobacterium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Mycobacterium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mycobacterium. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mycobacterium
noun
my·co·bac·te·ri·um
-ˈtir-ē-əm
1
capitalized
: a genus of nonmotile acid-fast aerobic bacteria of the family Mycobacteriaceae that are usually slender and difficult to stain and that include the causative agents of tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and leprosy (M. leprae) as well as numerous purely saprophytic forms
2
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