Abstract
A detailed study of the cultural characteristics and cellular fatty acid composition of 27 isolates of Corynebacterium acnes was performed to establish the properties by which this organism may be identified and characterized. The fatty acids were extracted directly from whole cells and examined as methyl esters by gas-liquid chromatography. Each strain possessed a similar fatty acid profile which was characterized by a large percentage of C15 branched-chain acid. Uniformity in certain biochemical reactions and cultural characteristics was also observed. All strains were catalase-positive, nonmotile, and urease-negative, reduced nitrate, liquefied gelatin, failed to hydrolyze esculin and starch, and gave a positive methyl red test. Glucose, fructose, and glycerol were fermented, but not lactose, salicin, sucrose, maltose, xylose, or arabinose. Production of hydrogen sulfide and indole, fermentation of mannitol, and hemolytic activity were variable characteristics. Two species of the genus Propionibacterium were also tested and found to be similar to C. acnes both in cultural characteristics and fatty acid composition. The results strengthen previous suggestions that C. acnes should be classified in the genus Propionibacterium.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- ALLISON M. J., BRYANT M. P., KATZ I., KEENEY M. Metabolic function of branched-chain volatile fatty acids, growth factors for ruminococci. II. Biosynthesis of higher branched-chain fatty acids and aldehydes. J Bacteriol. 1962 May;83:1084–1093. doi: 10.1128/jb.83.5.1084-1093.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cho K. Y., Salton M. R. Fatty acid composition of bacterial membrane and wall lipids. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1966 Feb 1;116(1):73–79. doi: 10.1016/0005-2760(66)90093-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Douglas H. C., Gunter S. E. The Taxonomic Position of Corynebacterium acnes. J Bacteriol. 1946 Jul;52(1):15–23. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kaneda T. Fatty acids in the genus Bacillus. I. Iso- and anteiso-fatty acids as characteristic constituents of lipids in 10 species. J Bacteriol. 1967 Mar;93(3):894–903. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.3.894-903.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MOORE W. E., CATO E. P. VALIDITY OF PROPIONIBACTERIUM ACNES (GILCHRIST) DOUGLAS AND GUNTER COMB. NOV. J Bacteriol. 1963 Apr;85:870–874. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.4.870-874.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Moss C. W., Lewis V. J. Characterization of clostridia by gas chromatography. I. Differentiation of species by cellular fatty acids. Appl Microbiol. 1967 Mar;15(2):390–397. doi: 10.1128/am.15.2.390-397.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WALKER R. W., FAGERSON I. S. STUDIES OF THE LIPIDS OF ARTHROBACTER GLOBIFORMIS 616. I. THE FATTY ACID COMPOSITION. Can J Microbiol. 1965 Apr;11:229–233. doi: 10.1139/m65-029. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]