M. phlei has only occasionally been isolated in human infections, and patients infected with M. phlei generally respond well to anti-mycobacterial therapy.

[2] If grown on an agar plate, M. phlei colonies appear orange to yellow in color, and predominantly dense with smooth edges, although some smaller filamentous colonies have also been described.

[2] Like other mycobacteria, M. phlei retains the acid-fast stain.

[2] The following year, the bacterium was given its current name by Karl Bernhard Lehmann and Rudolf Otto Neumann.

[2] This bacterium was extensively studied by Brodie and collaborators,[3] in connection with the metabolism and role of vitamin K2.