# Talk:Mycobacterium

Why is it called a "myco"bacterium? Isn't "myco" the radical for fungi? - Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.8.16.151 (talk • contribs) 

I came here wondering the same thing 67.188.22.41 03:51, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
The Latin root myco- does mean fungus or fungus-like, though it can also mean waxy (see mycolic acid for an example of this usage). While Mycobacterium species do bear a passing resemblance to fungi when they grown on solid media (as in this image), it is the presence of "waxy" compounds in the cell wall that gives this genus its name—as well as its resistance to Gram staining. -- MarcoTolo 22:15, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
I was wondering the exact same thing. I went to Discussions to see if there was any mention of the issue, and lo and behold, the only topic in Discussions is the very issue I was concerned about. Go, Wikipedia!
Hah, me too.  Maybe it should be in the article? --Galaxiaad 07:46, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
Hi, actually I have a book here that states "The name myco, meaning fungus like, was derived from their occasional exhibition of filamentous growth."  Microbiology an Introduction, Tortora Funke and Case, 8th Ed p. 325 Would love to know the actual answer! :)Bindi13 (talk) 01:52, 24 May 2008 (UTC)
I have a book that says the same thing  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.13.64.91 (talk) 12:10, 3 February 2010 (UTC) 
We were told the same thing in Spain during our microbiology lectures: mycobacteria were thought to be "like fungi", which gave them their name. The discovery of the waxy components of the wall is probably much newer than the name.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.221.9.206 (talk) 15:01, 20 June 2010 (UTC) 
It's a Greek word, not a Latin word. The 'y' is a clue. Even with neologisms which the Greco-Romans would never have used, Latin spelling and endings are used even to translate Greek words. I know of no such use of 'wax', and am not convinced this is the origin of 'mycolic', so in light of all this I'll delete that reference from the article. Harsimaja (talk) 02:29, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Referenced EPA report in opening that explains the name as describing "the way that the tubercle bacillus grows on the surface of liquid media as mold-like pellicles" BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 05:30, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

If someone has a minute to look at that article, it needs wikifying and a lot of expanding. Itsmejudith (talk) 13:23, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
M. miroti is also in the M. tuberculosis complex.  This is not indicated in the list.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.142.232.4 (talk) 15:58, 4 June 2008 (UTC) 
vcb

I have since removed the attempt to list all species in this genus, as it has currently reached 195 and genetic analysis is making an exact definition of the complex difficult BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 05:30, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

Where does this assumption come from ? I would regard this with great skepticism. XApple (talk) 12:53, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
It can't be Gram stained with normal techniques as it has no cell wall, so acid-fast staining is used. This gives a result, so saying it is neither gram positive or negative is untrue, right?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.13.64.91 (talk) 12:11, 3 February 2010 (UTC) 
They do have a cell wall  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.77.54 (talk) 03:22, 8 December 2010 (UTC) bv

For future editors, this was a confusing claim when these editors were discussing a decade ago, but I have added an image of the cell envelope to this page from a recent open-source journal article to illustrate the current understanding of why mycobacteria are between Gram-positive and Gram-negative (requiring acid-fast stains over Gram's) BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 05:30, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

The article states that mycobateria have no capsule. I thought it was widely known that they do have a capsule containing a-glucan?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.37.210.210 (talk) 12:15, 28 June 2011 (UTC) 

You are right. Mycobacterium has capsule but its observation is difficult with conventional microscopy techniques. See: Daffé M, Etienne G. The capsule of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its implications for pathogenicity. Tuber Lung Dis. 1999;79(3):153-69. PMID 10656114. [1]. Quotation: "Although conventional processing of samples for microscopy studies failed to demonstrate this structure around in vitro-grown bacilli, the application of new microscopy techniques to mycobacteria allows the visualization of a thick capsule in specimen from axenic cultures of mycobacteria."--Miguelferig (talk) 20:44, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
Significantly expanded explanation of this genus' cell envelope, including a mention of capsules comprised of glucans. Thanks for calling this out! BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 05:30, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

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As reflected in edit history, many of these links are to mycobacterium databases that have since shutdown. Since the Internet Archive focuses on the main pages, I removed these sites since the archive in insufficient at capturing the original data and replaced them with links to newer projects BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 20:36, 4 December 2022 (UTC)

Can someone explain this to me 107.77.227.110 (talk) 05:03, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

Check the associated Wikipedia article for more information. If you are looking for medical advice, speak with your doctor because WP:MEDICAL emphasizes that this online encyclopedia is not a stand-in for professional advice. Reference https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-017-2892-9 for more information on how this bacterial species causes disease in humans BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 20:36, 4 December 2022 (UTC)

I'm just a regular guy but I'm assuming that M. chitae and M. fallax aren't part of the cystic fibrosis group of mycobacteria 211.21.129.76 (talk) 09:41, 2 August 2022 (UTC)

Agree no online sources seem to support this classification, and such misinformation is problematic because the Global Biodiversity Information Facility website references this page BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 20:36, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
As an update, I have removed the attempted list of all species in this genus, as LPSN currently lists 195 valid child taxa. The taxonomic relationships are now reflected in a newly uploaded set of phylogenetic trees. Thanks for calling out the issue! BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 05:30, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Mycobacterium/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: Ealdgyth (talk · contribs) 14:50, 16 February 2023 (UTC)
I'll get to this in the next few days. Ealdgyth (talk) 14:50, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)
It is reasonably well written.
a (prose, spelling, and grammar):  b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists): 

It is factually accurate and verifiable.
a (reference section):  b (citations to reliable sources):  c (OR):  d (copyvio and plagiarism): 

It is broad in its coverage.
a (major aspects):  b (focused): 

It follows the neutral point of view policy.
Fair representation without bias: 

It is stable.
No edit wars, etc.: 

It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.
a (images are tagged and non-free content have non-free use rationales):  b (appropriate use with suitable captions): 

Overall:
Pass/Fail: 

Lead:
The lead is pretty skimpy - perhaps add something about the distinquishing characteristics from Metabolism, ecology, the division of species into four groups?
"The Greek prefix myco- means 'fungus', alluding to this genus' mold-like colony surfaces. Since this genus has cell walls with Gram-positive and Gram-negative features, acid-fast staining is used to emphasize their resistance to acids, compared to other cell types." is information in the lead that is not in the body of the article, which MOS:LEAD says shouldn't happen.
Pathogenicity:
"Mycobacterium tuberculosis can remain latent in human hosts, decades after an initial infection, to continue infecting others." suggest "Mycobacterium tuberculosis can remain latent in human hosts for decades after an initial infection, allowing it to continue infecting others." which is less clunky
"impede Coenzyme A synthesis" is there a reason this synthesis is capitalized while all the other syntheses listed aren't?
I randomly googled three phrases and only turned up Wikipedia mirrors. Earwig's tool shows no sign of copyright violation.
Spot checks:
"They are generally non-motile, except for the species Mycobacterium marinum, which has been shown to be motile within macrophages." is sourced to this source which (if I'm remembering my years-past science classes) sources the information
"Replacement of the gene encoding mycocerosic acid synthase in M. bovis prevents formation of mycosides." is sourced to this source which supports the information
I've put the article on hold for seven days to allow folks to address the issues I've brought up. Feel free to contact me on my talk page, or here with any concerns, and let me know one of those places when the issues have been addressed. If I may suggest that you strike out, check mark, or otherwise mark the items I've detailed, that will make it possible for me to see what's been addressed, and you can keep track of what's been done and what still needs to be worked on. Ealdgyth (talk) 14:50, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
@Ealdgyth Thanks so much for the in-depth review! I implemented each of these changes in a single edit just now. I expanded the lead with a few callouts to items from the body and noted that info about the genus etymology in the body's description of the cell wall. Additionally, I implemented your rephrasing on pathogenicity. Coenzyme A has capitalized naming because it is a specific protein, as opposed to arabinogalactan describing a sugar with many uses (reflected on the Wikipedia articles for each). Again, thank you so much for your time! BluePenguin18 🐧 ( 💬 ) 03:30, 27 February 2023 (UTC)
Looks good, passing this now. Ealdgyth (talk) 13:32, 27 February 2023 (UTC)