AbstractMycobacteriumsmegmatis (M. smegmatis) is a Grampositive saprophytic bacterium, with the characteristics of fastgrowing, nonpathogenicity as well as the highly homologous genes and similar cellular structure with Mycobacteriumtuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). M. smegmatis is an ideal model for mycobacterial infection and other related immune and infectious diseases. The applications of M. smegmatis in antituberculosis infection, immunoregulation and control of nontuberculosis infection are reviewed in the present paper.
HOU Xiao-Qing,LIU Dan,WANG Yi. Mycobacterium smegmatis: a model bacterium for tuberculosis and its current roles in research of infection and immunity[J]. JOURNAL OF MICROBES AND INFECTIONS, 2014, 9(4): 238-244.