Mycobacterium hiberniae

Description

• Smooth and glistening colonies with rose-pink pigmentation but become rough and dry later. Colonies with unique pigment production are 1-1.5 mm in diameter.

• Slow growth on Löwenstein-Jensen medium and Middlebrook 7H10 agar at 37 °C. No growth at 42 °C.
• Resistant to isoniazid, rifampin, and streptomycin
• Sensitive to ethambutol.

• M. hiberniae has unusual rose-pink pigmentation, which is unique in the genus Mycobacterium.

  Pathogenesis

• Not pathogenic
• Provokes a nonspecific skin hypersensitivity reaction to bovine tuberculin.
• Biosafety level 1

  Type strain

• First isolated from true moss, sphagnum and soil in Ireland