This is to allow the dye to penetrate the waxy cell walls. Having taken the stain, these bacteria resist decolourisation with both acids and alcohol, and are known as acid-alcohol fast bacteria . This is a property of mycobacteria. Most common is pulmonary tuberculosis, affecting the lung. In miliary tuberculosis, the infection is disseminated through the body.
Nerve damage leads to a loss of sensation, and ultimately to paralysis.
This can lead to tissue damage that can lead to the loss of fingers and toes. The bacterial chromosomal DNA is located in a region of the cell known as the nucleoid . Bacteria, being prokaryotes , do not have a true, membrane-bound nucleus. Bacteria carry a single chromosome that is circular in structure. Additional genetic information may be carried on plasmids .