Mycobacterium
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Actinobacteria
Order:	Actinomycetales
Suborder:	Corynebacterineae
Family:	Mycobacteriaceae
Genus:	Mycobacterium

A close up of a culture of M. tuberculosis. The patches that look like foam are the typical growth pattern of these bacteria

Mycobacterium is a genus of bacteria, with about 190 species.The genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae). Mycobacteria are immobile and are rod-shaped. They are mostly found in water, soil, and dust.

The colony colour ranges from white to orange to pink (Iivanainen, 1999). Most mycobacteria need oxygen to survive (aerobic organisms), although some species require very little amounts of oxygen, less than what is present in the air, are called (microaerophilic bacteria) (Falkinham, 1996).