Kingdom Bacteria Order Actinomycetales Family Mycobacteriaceae Scientific name Mycobacterium chimaera Rank Species | Phylum Actinobacteria Suborder Corynebacterineae Genus Mycobacterium Higher classification Mycobacterium | |
Similar Mycobacterium, Bacteria, Chimaera, Mycobacterium lentiflavum | ||
Dr kate clezy mycobacterium chimaera
Mycobacterium chimaera is a species of the phylum actinobacteria (Gram-positive bacteria with high guanine and cytosine content, one of the dominant phyla of all bacteria), belonging to the genus mycobacterium and part of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC).
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Type strain: strain FI-01069 = CCUG 50989 = CIP 107892 = DSM 44623.
Etymology: L. fem. n. chimaera, the chimaera, the mythological being made up of parts of three different animals, referring to the apparent mix of genetic features characterizing the strains.
There is an association of this organism with infections following cardiac bypass surgery, with an onset of symptoms from 1.5 to 3.6 years following the operation. Non-specific clinical findings have led to a time-to-diagnosis of up to four years. Most reported infections are of prosthetic valves or vascular grafts.
Numerous hospitals around the world are in the process of writing to tens of thousands of patients informing them of the possible risks to their health. Patient information portals are springing up around the web - http://mycobacteriumchimaera.co.uk
Etymology
In 2004, Tortoli et al. proposed the name M. chimaera for strains that a reverse hybridization–based line probe assay suggested belonged to MAIS (M. avium–M. intracellulare–M. scrofulaceum group) but were different from M. avium, M. intracellulare, or M. scrofulaceum. The new species name comes from the chimera, a mythological being made up of parts of 3 different animals.