Rapid Method for the Detection and Identification of Mycolic Acids in Aerobic Actinomycetes and Related Bacteria1

A rapid method for the identification of lipids characteristic of the genera Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, and the "rhodochrous group" has been developed. Modifications of previously described methods make this procedure suitable for use in the clinical laboratory. Thin-layer chromatography is used to demonstrate the presence of the lipid characteristic of Nocardia spp. (type A) in some corynebacteria, nocardias, and members of the "rhodochrous group." Precipitation in ether and ethanol is used to demonstrate the presence of mycobacterial mycolic acids. Since this procedure can be carried out in less than 2 days and the lipids are extracted from the same batch of cells grown for diaminopimelic acid and whole-cell sugar analyses, it can readily be added to the battery of tests performed in reference laboratories that deal with aerobic actinomycetes and related bacteria.