The advancement of genetic techniques has greatly boosted taxonomic studies in recent years. Within the genus Mycobacterium, 42 new species have been detected since 1990, most of which were grown from clinical samples. Along with species for which relatively large numbers of strains have been reported, some of the new species of mycobacteria have been detected rarely or even only once. From the phenotypic point of view, among the new taxa, chromogens exceed nonchromogens while the numbers of slowly and rapidly growing species are equivalent. Whereas conventional identification tests were usually inconclusive, an important role was played by lipid analyses and in particular by high-performance liquid chromatography. Genotypic investigations based on sequencing of 16S rRNA gene have certainly made the most important contribution. The investigation of genetic relatedness led to the redistribution of the species previously included in the classically known categories of slow and rapid growers into new groupings. Within slow growers, the intermediate branch related to Mycobacterium simiae and the cluster of organisms related to Mycobacterium terrae have been differentiated; among rapid growers, the group of thermotolerant mycobacteria has emerged. The majority of species are resistant to isoniazid and, to a lesser extent, to rifampin. Many of the new species of mycobacteria are potentially pathogenic, and there are numerous reports of their involvement in diseases. Apart from disseminated and localized diseases in immunocompromised patients, the most frequent infections in immunocompetent people involve the lungs, skin, and, in children, cervical lymph nodes. The awareness of such new mycobacteria, far from being a merely speculative exercise, is therefore important for clinicians and microbiologists.

中文翻译：

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基因型研究对分枝杆菌分类的影响：1990年代的新分枝杆菌。

遗传技术的进步极大地促进了近年来的分类学研究。自1990年以来，在分枝杆菌属中已发现42种新物种，其中大多数是从临床样品中生长的。除了已经报道了相对大量菌株的物种之外，很少或什至一次都检测不到一些新的分枝杆菌物种。从表型的角度来看，在新的分类单元中，色原超过非色原，而缓慢和快速生长的物种的数量是相等的。常规的鉴定测试通常是不确定的，但脂质分析尤其是高效液相色谱法发挥了重要作用。基于16S rRNA基因测序的基因型研究无疑做出了最重要的贡献。对遗传相关性的研究导致先前在慢速和快速种植者经典已知类别中包含的物种重新分布到新的分组中。在生长缓慢的植物中，已区分出与simiae分枝杆菌有关的中间分支和与terra分支杆菌有关的生物簇。在快速种植者中，出现了耐热的分枝杆菌群。大多数物种对异烟肼具有抗性，在较小程度上对利福平具有抗性。分枝杆菌的许多新物种具有潜在的致病性，并且有许多关于它们参与疾病的报道。除了在免疫功能低下的患者中传播和局部疾病以外，免疫能力强的人中最常见的感染还涉及肺部，皮肤和儿童淋巴结。