This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stormer, R S Articles by Falkinham, J O Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stormer, R S Articles by Falkinham, J O, 3rd

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Clin Microbiol. 1989 November; 27(11): 2459-2465

Differences in antimicrobial susceptibility of pigmented and unpigmented colonial variants of Mycobacterium avium.

Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061.

ABSTRACT

Unpigmented colonial variants were isolated from pigmented Mycobacterium avium isolates recovered from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and the environment. The variants were interconvertible: the rate of transition from unpigmented to pigmented type was 4.0 x 10(-5) variants per cell per generation. The unpigmented variants were more tolerant to antibiotics, especially beta-lactams, and Cd2+ and Cu2+ salts than were their pigmented parents. Both pigmented and unpigmented variants of the strains produced beta-lactamase, although beta-lactamase did not appear to be a determinant of beta-lactam susceptibility. Pigmented variants grew more rapidly in a number of commonly used mycobacterial media, were more hydrophobic, and had higher carotenoid contents than their unpigmented segregants.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Falkinham, J. O. III (2003). Factors Influencing the Chlorine Susceptibility of Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 5685-5689 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• da Silva, T. R. M., de Freitas, J. R., Silva, Q. C., Figueira, C. P., Roxo, E., Leao, S. C., de Freitas, L. A. R., Veras, P. S. T. (2002). Virulent Mycobacterium fortuitum Restricts NO Production by a Gamma Interferon-Activated J774 Cell Line and Phagosome-Lysosome Fusion. Infect. Immun. 70: 5628-5634 [Abstract] [Full Text]