Mycobacteroides chelonae

Mycobacteroides chelonae (formerly Mycobacterium chelonae^[2]) is a species of bacteria from the phylum Actinomycetota belonging to the genus Mycobacteroides. Mycobacteroides chelonae is a rapidly growing mycobacterium that is found all throughout the environment, including sewage and tap water. It can occasionally cause opportunistic infections of humans. It is grouped in Runyon group IV.^[4]

Mycobacteroides chelonae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Bacillati
Phylum:	Actinomycetota
Class:	Actinomycetia
Order:	Mycobacteriales
Family:	Mycobacteriaceae
Genus:	Mycobacteroides
Species:	M. chelonae
Binomial name
Mycobacteroides chelonae (Bergey et al. 1923) Gupta et al. 2018[1][2]
Type strain[3]
ATCC 35752 CCUG 47445 CIP 104535 CM 6388 DSM 43804 JCM 6388 NCTC 946
Synonyms[2]
Mycobacterium chelonae corrig. Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980) Mycobacterium chelonei Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980)

The complete genome sequence of the M. chelonae CCUG 47445 type strain was deposited and published in DNA Data Bank of Japan, European Nucleotide Archive, and GenBank in 2016 under the accession number CP007220.^[5]

Epidemiology

Mycobacteroides chelonae abscesses associated with biomesotherapy, an alternative therapy practice. (The abscesses are at the biomesotherapy injection site.)

On average, two cases of nonpulmonary M. chelonae infection are reported in South Australia each year.^[6] This bacterium is capable of causing skin, soft tissue, and bone infections, particularly after trauma and surgery. It has been documented as a cause of breast infections after nipple piercing.