MYCOBACTERIUM-BOHEMICUM SP. NOV., A NEW SLOW-GROWING SCOTOCHROMOGENICMYCOBACTERIUM

A new, slow-growing, scotochromogenic mycobacterium was isolated from sputum of a 53-year-old patient with Down's syndrome suffering from tu berculosis. Growth occurred at temperatures between 25 and 40 degrees C with an optimum at 37 degrees C. This strain had surprisingly few en zymic activities (only positive for 68 degrees C heat-stable catalase and weakly positive for urease) and was sensitive to prothionamide, cy closerine, clarithromycin, gentamicin and amikacin but showed resistan ce to isoniazid, streptomycin. ethambutol, rifampin and ciprofloxacin. These characteristics assign this organism to a novel mycobacterial s pecies characterized by a unique 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence. The nam e Mycobacterium bohemicum sp. nov. is proposed for this new, slow-grow ing, scotochromogenic mycobacterium. The type strain is DSM 44277(T).