Which of the following bacteria contains mycolic acid in the cell wall
Escherichia
Mycoplasma
Mycobacteria
Staphylococcus
Mycobacterium are slender rods that sometimes show branching, filamentous forms resembling fungal mycelium. In liquid cultures, they form a mould like a pellicle. they do not stain readily, but once stained, resist decolourisation with dilute mineral acids, due to the presence of mycolic acid in their cell wall. They are called acid-fast bacilli. Mycobacterium are slow-growing, aerobic, non-motile, non-capsulated and non-sporing. Ref: Textbook of microbiology; Ananthanarayan and paniker's; 10th edition; Pg;351
Bacteriology