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Mycobacteria - General Characteristics
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Mycobacteria - General Characteristics

General characteristics of Mycobacteria:
Non-motile, non-spore-forming, aerobic, have high amounts of Guanine and Cytosine in their DNA, slow-growing, and most are weakly Gram-positive.
They have lipid-rich cell walls that are: — Acid-fast — Resistant to detergents and antibiotics — Contain antigens that stimulate the host immune response.
Layers of the Cell Wall: — Cytoplasmic membrane — Peptidoglycan layer - tends to stain weakly Gram-positive — Arabinogalactan layer is a branched polysaccharide macromolecule that comprises arabinose and galactose residues; it links to the peptidoglycan layer, below. — Mycolic acids, which comprises long-chain fatty acids; these acids contribute to the low permeability of Mycobacteria cell walls.
Be aware that some authors describe an outer capsule or capsule-like material.