Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Pasteurization conditions were historically established to ensure the complete destruction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the most heat-resistant pathogen non-spore-forming organism found in milk.
Understanding the biological properties of this index pathogen is critical to verifying the efficacy of milk pasteurization.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the given statements regarding Mycobacterium tuberculosis:
- Statement A: It is an acid-fast bacterium because its cell wall contains high amounts of mycolic acid, which resists decolorization by acid-alcohol during staining. (True)
- Statement B: It is a non-motile bacterium and does not possess flagella or show corkscrew motion. (False)
- Statement C: It causes tuberculosis in humans (primarily M. tuberculosis) and animals (such as M. bovis, which is transmissible to humans via raw milk). (True)
- Statement D: It is extremely slow-growing and requires several weeks (typically 3 to 8 weeks) to form visible colonies on specialized media like Lowenstein-Jensen medium. It cannot be detected within a single day. (False)
- Statement E: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is typically urease-positive, which helps in its biochemical differentiation. (False)
Therefore, only statements A and C are correct.
Step 3: Final Answer
The correct option is (B).