Under what circumstance might slow-growing mycobacteria appear to produce colonies in a few days?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rate of growth is an important criterion for determining the initial category of an isolate. Rapid-growers usually produce colonies within 3 to 4 days after subculture. Even a rapid-grower, however, may take longer than 7 days to initially produce colonies because of inhibition by a harsh decontaminating procedure. Therefore, the growth rate (and pigment production) must be determined by subculture. The dilution of the organism used to assess growth rate is critical. Even slow-growing mycobacteria appear to produce colonies in less than 7 days if the inoculum is too heavy.

Under What Circumstance Might Slow-Growing Mycobacteria Appear to Produce Colonies