Isolation in high frequency of rough variants of Mycobacterium intracellulare lacking C-mycoside glycopeptidolipid antigens

Abstract

Rough variants of serovars from the Mycobacterium avium-Mycobacterium intracellulare-Mycobacterium scrofulaceum complex were isolated in high frequency from pellicle growth of the wild-type strains. Rough morphology could be correlated with the lack of an outer cell wall sheath and its constituent C-mycoside glycopeptidolipids of both the serologically active and inactive types.