<P> Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an obligate pathogenic bacterial species in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis . First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch , M. tuberculosis has an unusual , waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid . This coating makes the cells impervious to Gram staining , and as a result , M. tuberculosis can appear either Gram - negative or Gram - positive . Acid - fast stains such as Ziehl - Neelsen , or fluorescent stains such as auramine are used instead to identify M. tuberculosis with a microscope . The physiology of M. tuberculosis is highly aerobic and requires high levels of oxygen . Primarily a pathogen of the mammalian respiratory system , it infects the lungs . The most frequently used diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are the tuberculin skin test , acid - fast stain , culture , and polymerase chain reaction . </P>
<P> Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an obligate pathogenic bacterial species in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis . First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch , M. tuberculosis has an unusual , waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid . This coating makes the cells impervious to Gram staining , and as a result , M. tuberculosis can appear either Gram - negative or Gram - positive . Acid - fast stains such as Ziehl - Neelsen , or fluorescent stains such as auramine are used instead to identify M. tuberculosis with a microscope . The physiology of M. tuberculosis is highly aerobic and requires high levels of oxygen . Primarily a pathogen of the mammalian respiratory system , it infects the lungs . The most frequently used diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are the tuberculin skin test , acid - fast stain , culture , and polymerase chain reaction . </P>
where is mycobacterium tuberculosis found in the body
where is mycobacterium tuberculosis found in the body
the lungs
the lungs