Final answer:
Caseous necrosis is the type of necrosis associated with tuberculous infections, characterized by a cheese-like appearance within granulomatous lesions known as tubercles caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The form of necrosis that is associated with tuberculous infections is caseous necrosis. This specific necrosis is characteristic of tuberculosis, which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The infection process begins with the inhalation of bacteria into the alveoli, where they are phagocytized by macrophages.
However, due to the protective waxy mycolic acid in their cell walls, the bacteria can survive within the macrophages. Over time, the body's immune response may form granulomatous lesions known as tubercles. As the disease progresses, these tubercles develop a caseous center due to immune-mediated tissue destruction and programmed host-cell death, or apoptosis, resulting in an area where the aerobic M. tuberculosis thrives. Caseous necrosis is thus a hallmark of tuberculous infections in the lungs and can be identified as a cheese-like appearance within these tubercles.