Final answer:
The cell walls of acid-fast organisms, like Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are composed of mycolic acids, requiring specialized staining techniques for visualization due to their waxy nature.
Step-by-step explanation:
Acid-fast organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis contain lipids constructed from mycolic acids in their cell walls. Mycolic acids act as a barrier, providing protection against dehydration and immune system phagocytosis. The presence of these waxy mycolic acids makes the cell walls impervious to many staining techniques, and therefore, acid-fast staining procedures, such as the Ziehl-Neelsen technique or the Kinyoun technique using carbolfuchsin, are required to visualize these bacteria. This characteristic also contributes to their slow growth and increased survival capability within host organisms.