Mycolic acids are long
fatty acids found in the
cell walls of the
mycolata taxon, a group of
bacteria that includes
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of the disease
tuberculosis. They form the major component of the cell wall of mycolata species. Despite their name, mycolic acids have no biological link to
fungi; the name arises from the filamentous appearance their presence gives mycolata under high magnification. The presence of mycolic acids in the cell wall also gives mycolata a distinct gross morphological trait known as "cording." Mycolic acids were first isolated by Stodola
et al. in 1938 from an extract of
M. tuberculosis.