''Mycobacterium canettii'', a novel pathogenic taxon of the
''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' complex (MTBC), was first reported in 1969 by the French microbiologist
Georges Canetti, for whom the organism has been named. It formed smooth and shiny colonies, which is highly exceptional for the MTBC. It was described in detail in 1997 on the isolation of a new strain from a 2-year-old Somali patient with lymphadenitis. It did not differ from ''
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (M. tb) is a species of pathogenic bacteria 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 it ...
'' in the biochemical tests and in its 16S rRNA sequence. It had shorter generation time than clinical isolates of ''M. tuberculosis'' and presented a unique, characteristic phenolic glycolipid and lipo-oligosaccharide. In 1998, Pfyffer described abdominal lymphatic TB in a 56-year-old Swiss man with HIV infection who lived in Kenya. Tuberculosis caused by ''M. canettii'' appears to be an emerging disease in the
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004 ...
. A history of a stay to the region should induce the clinician to consider this organism promptly even if the clinical features of TB caused by ''M. canettii'' are not specific. The natural reservoir, host range, and mode of transmission of the organism are still unknown.
''M. canettii'' appears to be the ancestor of ''M. tuberculosis''.
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q6946999
Acid-fast bacilli
canetti
Bacteria described in 1997