High-performance liquid chromatography of mycolic acids as a tool in the identification of Corynebacterium, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, and Mycobacterium species

Abstract

High-performance liquid chromatography of bromophenacyl esters of mycolic acid was used as an aid to assign a particular organism to one of four mycolic acid-containing genera. A gradient elution system, with methanol and chloroform, was used to distinguish representative mycolic acid patterns for the genera Corynebacterium, Rhodococcus, Nocardia, and Mycobacterium.