Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1991 Jul;29(7):1533–1535. doi: 10.1128/jcm.29.7.1533-1535.1991

Use of a siderophore detection medium, ethylene glycol degradation, and beta-galactosidase activity in the early presumptive differentiation of Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Streptomyces, and rapidly growing Mycobacterium species.

E Fiss 1, G F Brooks 1
PMCID: PMC270150  PMID: 1832172

Abstract

A simplified scheme for the presumptive early identification of Nocardia, Rhodococcus, rapidly growing Mycobacterium, and Streptomyces species is presented. The Nocardia and Streptomyces spp. and the Mycobacterium spp. were positive. The spp. were positive for siderophore activity, but only 25% of the Rhodococcus spp. were positive. The Rhodococcus and Mycobacterium spp. were negative for beta-galactosidase, while the Nocardia and Streptomyces spp. were positive. The Nocardia and Streptomyces spp. and the Mycobacterium spp. were negative for ethylene glycol degradation, while 75% of the Rhodococcus spp. were positive. In combination, these tests were useful for differentiating Mycobacterium, Rhodococcus, and Nocardia species but did not differentiate Nocardia from Streptomyces species.

Full text

PDF
1533

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Collins C. H., Yates M. D., Uttley A. H. Presumptive identification of nocardias in a clinical laboratory. J Appl Bacteriol. 1988 Jul;65(1):55–59. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1988.tb04317.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Feistner G. J., Beaman B. L. Characterization of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid from Nocardia asteroides GUH-2. J Bacteriol. 1987 Sep;169(9):3982–3987. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.9.3982-3987.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Flores M., Ford E. G., Janda J. M. Value of the O-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside test to differentiate among the aerobic actinomycetes. J Clin Microbiol. 1990 Sep;28(9):2142–2144. doi: 10.1128/jcm.28.9.2142-2144.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hall R. M., Ratledge C. Distribution and application of mycobactins for the characterization of species within the genus Rhodococcus. J Gen Microbiol. 1986 Mar;132(3):853–856. doi: 10.1099/00221287-132-3-853. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hall R. M., Ratledge C. Mycobactins as chemotaxonomic characters for some rapidly growing mycobacteria. J Gen Microbiol. 1984 Aug;130(8):1883–1892. doi: 10.1099/00221287-130-8-1883. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McNeil M. M., Brown J. M., Jarvis W. R., Ajello L. Comparison of species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of aerobic actinomycetes from clinical specimens. Rev Infect Dis. 1990 Sep-Oct;12(5):778–783. doi: 10.1093/clinids/12.5.778. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mishra S. K., Gordon R. E., Barnett D. A. Identification of nocardiae and streptomycetes of medical importance. J Clin Microbiol. 1980 Jun;11(6):728–736. doi: 10.1128/jcm.11.6.728-736.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Richet H. M., Craven P. C., Brown J. M., Lasker B. A., Cox C. D., McNeil M. M., Tice A. D., Jarvis W. R., Tablan O. C. A cluster of Rhodococcus (Gordona) Bronchialis sternal-wound infections after coronary-artery bypass surgery. N Engl J Med. 1991 Jan 10;324(2):104–109. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199101103240206. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Schwyn B., Neilands J. B. Universal chemical assay for the detection and determination of siderophores. Anal Biochem. 1987 Jan;160(1):47–56. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(87)90612-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Stottmeier K. D., Molloy M. E. Rapid identification of the taxon Rhodochrous in the clinical laboratory. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Aug;26(2):213–214. doi: 10.1128/am.26.2.213-214.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Tsukamura M. Differentiation between genera Rhodococcus and Nocardia by susceptibility testing to kanamycin and some other antituberculosis agents. Microbiol Immunol. 1988;32(4):441–445. doi: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1988.tb01404.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tsukamura M. Differentiation of the 'Mycobacterium' rhodochrous-group from Nocardiae by beta-galactosidase activity. J Gen Microbiol. 1974 Feb;80(2):553–555. doi: 10.1099/00221287-80-2-553. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES