Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
Closely related bacterium species that cause tuberculosis
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC or MTBC) is a genetically related group of Mycobacterium species that can cause tuberculosis in humans or other animals.
It includes:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterium africanum
Mycobacterium orygis
Mycobacterium bovis and the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin strain
Mycobacterium microti
Mycobacterium canettii
Mycobacterium caprae
Mycobacterium pinnipedii
Mycobacterium suricattae
Mycobacterium mungi
In addition, two branches exist which have phylogenetic similarities but are not completely described: the dassie and oryx bacilli. Oryx bacilli has been recently reclassified into a separate subspecies, orygis.
Members of the MTC can be distinguished from all other bacteria by the presence of 63 conserved signature indels (CSIs) present in diverse proteins that are exclusively shared by these pathogens. Due to their exclusivity for the MTC complex and presence in highly conserved regions of proteins, these CSIs provide novel means for functional and diagnostic studies (including potential targets for development of novel therapeutics).
Since 2018, all members of this species complex are considered synonyms of M. tuberculosis as far as bacterial nomenclature is concerned. The IJSEM article reports that M. africanum, M. bovis, M. caprae, M. pinnipedii are 99.21–99.92% identical to M. tuberculosis on the whole-genome level, failing the criteria to be considered independent species. The same applies to "M. canetti", "M. mungi", and "M. orygis", species not validly published. The variation is even below the accepted level for subspecies. Authors of the article note that these names do refer to stable lineages with meaningful clinical distinctions, recommending that them become variants: M. bovis would become M. tuberculosis var.
The public source identifies “Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex” as closely related bacterium species that cause tuberculosis. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mycobacterium, tuberculosis and complex.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex”, the useful work is to connect “closely related bacterium species that cause tuberculosis” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5779917. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2018.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.