Tuberculosis Bacteria (IMAGE) Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Caption The most important tuberculosis pathogen, the bacterium Mycobakterium tuberculosis, divides itself every 16 to 20 hours. In comparison to other bacteria, which divide themselves in the space of minutes, this is extremely slow. Credit Brinkmann/Schaible, MPI for Infection Biology Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.