Chemical characteristics and classification of nocardiae

Abstract

A simple gas-chromatographic method was devised for the detection of mycolic acids present in strains of Actinomycetales with a type IV cell wall (meso-DAP, arabinose, and galactose). Results obtained in the study of 89 such strains has permitted the authors to assign them to either the genus Mycobacterium (strains containing true mycolic acids) or to the genus Nocardia (strains containing nocardomycolic acids).Strains of "Nocardia farcinica" were found to belong to the genus Mycobacterium and thus the name of this species should be considered a nomen dubium. Strains of "Mycobacterium rhodochrous," "M. brevicale," and "M. thamnopheos" did not contain true mycolic acids and their assignment to the genera Nocardia or Corynebacterium was considered.