THE CHEMISTRY OF THE LIPOIDS OF TUBERCLE BACILLI

Abstract

In accordance with a general plan for the cooperative investigation on tuberculosis, which is sponsored by the Research Committee of the National Tuberculosis Association, a series of comparative studies of the chemical and biological properties of various types of tubercle bacilli and related acid-fast organisms have been initiated.The bovine type of tubercle bacillus has been included in this program and the present report deals with the separation of lipoid fractions from the bovine bacillus.The literature contains very little definite information regarding the lipoids of the bovine bacillus, but such data as we have been able to find may be summarized as follows: DeSchweinitz and Dorset (1) obtained a total of 26.32 per cent of fat by extraction with ether, alcohol, and chloroform.The fat was found to contain some free fatty acids.Frouin (2) reported that the fat content of different strains of the bacillus varied from 8.55 to 12.99 per cent when grown on media free from glycerol while when glycerol was present the fat varied from 22.95 to 45.51 per cent.Long and Campbell (3) found that the bovine bacillus, Strain B, grown on a synthetic media containing glycerol yielded on successive extraction with hot absolute alcohol and with petroleum ether a total of 22.3 per cent of fat.The fat had a saponification number of 139 and it contained 60 per cent of unsaponifiable matter.Terroine and Lobstein (4) in experiments with