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Multiple Choice

What is the species of the zoonotic organism whose cell wall has a high lipid content, described as acid fast, and is found as an opportunist in AIDS

Acid-fast organisms with a lipid-rich cell wall are mycobacteria, whose thick mycolic acid envelope gives them the characteristic staining and resistance seen in these bacteria. In people with advanced HIV/AIDS, the most common opportunistic mycobacterial infection is Mycobacterium avium complex. It frequently disseminates in those with very low CD4 counts, causing fever, weight loss, anemia, and hepatosplenomegaly, and it is environmental, found in water and soil. While other mycobacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae share the acid-fast, lipid-rich property, they are not the classic AIDS opportunist described here, and Nocardia, though partially acid-fast, is not the primary AIDS opportunist in this scenario. Therefore, the organism described is Mycobacterium avium.

Acid-fast organisms with a lipid-rich cell wall are mycobacteria, whose thick mycolic acid envelope gives them the characteristic staining and resistance seen in these bacteria. In people with advanced HIV/AIDS, the most common opportunistic mycobacterial infection is Mycobacterium avium complex. It frequently disseminates in those with very low CD4 counts, causing fever, weight loss, anemia, and hepatosplenomegaly, and it is environmental, found in water and soil. While other mycobacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae share the acid-fast, lipid-rich property, they are not the classic AIDS opportunist described here, and Nocardia, though partially acid-fast, is not the primary AIDS opportunist in this scenario. Therefore, the organism described is Mycobacterium avium.