Identification of a group of non tuberculous mycobacteria isolated from the South Indian BCG trial area by HPLC.

Daisy Vanitha, J.; Chandra Immanuel; Bogumilla Szponar; Lennart Larsson; Paramasivan, C.N.

Current Science; 2002; 82; 189-191

Twenty-five isolates of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from the South Indian BCG trial area were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for mycolic acid pattern. The chromatograms differentiated the isolates into four species, namely M. terrae complex, M. intracellulare , M. parafortuitum and M. fortuitum . Three strains were unidentified, one of which did not show any mycolic acid peaks. All isolates had been identified as M.diernhoferi by biochemical methods in a previous study. Nineteen of the isolates were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the presence of tuberculostearic acid, 2-eicosanol and mycolic acid cleavage products, and were classified as nonchromogens or rapidly growing mycobacteria. The results show that HPLC can discriminate the described mycobacterial species better than biochemical methods and GC-MS.

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