Mycolicibacterium
Mycolicibacterium is a genus of Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria in the family "Mycobacteriaceae" from the order Mycobacteriales. The type species of this genus is "Mycolicibacterium fortuitum." Members of "Mycolicibacterium" were demarcated from the larger genus "Mycobacterium" in 2018 by Gupta et al. based on evidence from various phylogenetic trees constructed based on conserved genome sequences, comparative genomic analyses and average amino acid identity values. In addition to this genus, the study proposed the division of Mycobacterium into a total of five distinct genera, which was met with some resistance by some of the scientific community. The resistance was  based on the grounds that Mycobacterium contains some clinically relevant species and name changes might cause confusion among clinicians and other researchers. In 2020, Yamada et al. analyzed the fundamental morphological properties of the new genera, including the cell diameter, cell length, cell perimeter, cell circularity and aspect ratio, and determined that there were significant differences between the five genera, thus supporting the new division. The name "Mycolicibacterium" is derived from the Latin noun "acidum mycolicum" (translates to mycolic acid) and the Latin noun "bacterium" (translates to small rod). Together the name refers to a genus of mycolic acid containing  rod-shaped bacteria. Biochemical characteristics and molecular signatures. "Mycolicibacterium" is a genus of rapidly-growing bacteria, taking less than seven days to form colonies. Members are also non-chromogenic (does not produce pigment), and are positive for the 3 day arylsulfatase activity test, nitrate reductase and iron uptake. Most species are saprophytic and are able to process decaying organic matter for nutrients. While members of this genus are not considered to be pathogenic, some species have been reported to cause infections and diseases. The genome size for "Mycolicibacterium" is between 3.95-8.0 Mbp and their G+C content is between 65.4 -70.3 mol%. Four conserved signature indels (CSIs) were identified through genomic analyses as uniquely present in this genus in the following proteins: LacI family transcriptional regulator, cyclase, CDP-diacylglycerol–glycerol-3-phosphate 3-phosphatidyltransferase and CDP-diacylglycerol–serine O-phosphatidyltransferase. These CSIs serve as a reliable molecular means for distinguishing members of this "Mycolicibacterium" from other genera in the family "Mycobacteriaceae" and all other bacteria. Additionally, 10 unique conserved signature proteins (CSPs) were identified for this genus.