Why is Mycobacterium resistant to disinfectants?

Question

Why is Mycobacterium resistant to disinfectants?

Answer 1

All Mycobacterium species share a characteristic cell wall, thicker than in many other bacteria, which is hydrophobic, waxy, and rich in mycolic acids/mycolates. The cell wall makes a substantial contribution to the hardiness of this genus.

Answer 2

Mycobacteria have a layer of mycolic acid surrounding them. This waxy coating acts as a shield against not just the disinfectants but also against the antibiotics.

Answer 3

disinfectants are just that, disinfectants, they do not kill everything, however mycobacterium have in common the relatively robust resistant cell wall, the are classified as an 'atypical' cell as they are neither gram + or gram-, and while the cell wall is resistant to many disinfectants, alochol or phenol based agents will kill them on smooth surfaces, and several antibiotics are very effective in treatment....good luck

Answer 4

Mycobacterium has a waxy cell wall that prevents many antibiotics from entering the bacteria, and also in tuberculosis the physical structure of the tubercule prevents some drugs from effective penetration.

Answer 5

Cause do not exist any terapy about that problem

Answer 6

Due to the nature of its cell wall.

Like most bacteria it contains a cell membrane followed by a petidoglycan cell wall but then beyond it there is a mycolate wall made of very long chain mycolic acid molecules, (a kind of fatty acid that is 60 to 80 carbon atoms long) that prevent antibiotics from entering these bacteria so as to kill them. That gives them antibiotic resistance.