Role of Anonymous Mycobacteria in Pathogenesis of Human Tuberculosis

During the last few years a number of reports have appeared in literature regarding isolation of mycobacteria from patients of tuberculosis, which were different in several respects from the well known Mycobacterium tuberculosis hominis or bovis. (Buhler and Pollak, 1953, Tempe and Runyon, 1954. Nassau and Hamilton, 1957, Davis, et al, 1966). These Mycobacteria have been designated as “Anonymous Mycobacteria” by Runyan (1959). Essentially anonymous mycobacteria differ from the usual Myco. tuberculosis by being non pathogenic to guinea pigs and taxonomically may be placed between the pathogenic tubercle bacilli and the saprophytrs. Reports on the role of anonymous mycobacteria in human disease have appeared both in Indian and foreign literature, although the exact incidence varies widely and the role appears inconclusive. (Mahapatra, 1961, Kaur and Chitkara 1964, Bear et al, 1965 and Wolinsky et al, 1957).