Affiliation:
1. Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Medical School, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
Abstract
The cellular fatty acid profiles of 67 strains belonging to three different species of the genus Mycobacterium were determined by gas chromatography of the fatty acid methyl esters, using the MIDI Sherlock® Microbial Identification System (MIS). The species M. tuberculosis, M. xenopi and M. avium complex were clearly distinguishable and could be identified based on the presence and concentrations of 12 fatty acids: 14:0, 15:0, 16:1ω7c, 16:1ω6c, 16:0, 17:0, 18:2ω6,9c, 18:1ω9c, 18:0, 10Me-18:0 tuberculostearic acid, alcohol and cyclopropane. Fatty acid analysis showed that there is great homogeneity within and heterogeneity between Mycobacterium species. Thus the MIS is an accurate, efficient and relatively rapid method for the identification of mycobacteria.
Subject
Biochemistry (medical),Cell Biology,Biochemistry,General Medicine
Reference22 articles.
1. Koneman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WCJr: Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology, 5th edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1997; pp893–938.
2. Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections of the lung
3. Evaluation of practical chromatographic procedures for identification of clinical isolates of mycobacteria