• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.363-373
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• 1986

We developed a giant colony test system with rapidly growing mycobacteria by stab-culture with a loopful inoculum of cells into Middlebrook 7H10 agar medium containing soluble extracts of the fruits of Gardenia jasminoides(7H10-crocin agar medium) and assessed the significance of the giant colony test with 28 strains of 10 clusters of rapidly growing mycobacteria classified by the simple biological 5-test characters. Of the 10 clusters of mycobacteria tested, some of strains which belonged to cluster No. 1a, 5a and 11a did grow as gravis types, whereas most of other clusters gave mitis or intermedius types in their colonial sizes at 12 days culture. By this test, pathogenic strains of M. fortuitum-chelonei complex which belonged to cluster No. 5a, b, 7a and 8a, b could be divided into gravis, intermedius and mitis colony types and the gravis ones were characterized by bluish-white "mushroom-shaped" colonies with central complexes in the texture, whereas the intermedius gave grayish-white "flower-shaped" colonies with radiated folds, but without any central complexes. The mitis colonies were characterized by grayish-white smooth or smooth mucoid colonies and were common among the clusters in their shapes. The colony of M. chelonei was bluish-white mitis type and was characterized by its hilly rhizoid colony. The gravis colony of cluster No. 1a identified as M. phlei was characterized by yellow "round straw- mat-shaped" or "chrysanthemum-shaped" colony with whole complexes in the texture, and the gravis colonies of the cluster No. 11a gave grayish-white "flower-shaped" colonies with central stamens, radiating trough and fine cup-shaped strands in the texture. The four colony types of pathogenic species of M. fortuitum-chelonei complex on 7H10-crocin agar medium were distinctive from those of other clusters of rapidly growing mycobacteria and these results indicated that the giant colony test, in conjunction with the simple 5-test characters, would be of value in the differentiation of M. fortuitum complex from other clusters of rapidly growing mycobacteria.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 1984

The differential diagnosis of atypical mycobacteriosis caused by atypical mycobacteria (with the exception of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, and Mycobacterium leprae) which are widly distributed in soil and water, from pulmonary tuberculosis is possible only when atypical mycobacteria are isolated and identified. In this investigation, attempts were made to isolate atypical mycobacteria from persons registered as tuberculosis patients in the Anyang Health Center in Anyang City, Kyungki province, Korea. Biological and biochemical tests were performed for the atypical mycobacteria isolated from these patients, also retrospective analysis of clinical and X-ray findings of the patients with bacteriologically confirmed atypical mycobacteriosis were done. The results can be summarized as follows: 1. 103 strains of mycobacteria were isolated among 334 sputum samples from patients. 2. Among the isolated mycobacteria, 10 strains (9.7%) were found to be a atypical mycobacteria and 93 strains (90.3%) were tubercle bacilli of human type. 3. On the basis of Runyon's grouping of atypical mycobacteria, there were 3 strains (30.0 %) of scotochromogen and nonphotochromogen respectively, 4 strains (40.0%) of rapid grower, and no photochromogen. 4. By biochemical tests, 3 strains of scotochromogen were identified as Mycobacterium scrofulaceum (2 strains) and Mycobacterium szulgai (1 strain) 3 strains of nonphotochromogen were Mycobacterium avium-complex (2 strains) and Mycobacterium terriae (1 strain), and 4 strains of rapid grower were Mycobacterium fortuitum (3 strains) and Mycobacterium chelonei. 5. In drug sensitivity tests, all 10 strains isolated atypical mycobacteria showed resistance to various concentration of INH and SM and low concentration (10mcg, 40mcg and 50mcg) of EB, TH, and CS, and were sensitive to only high concentration (20mcg and 100mcg) of EB, TH, CS, and RFP. 6. In analysis of clical findings by the patients with bacteriologically confirmed atypical mycobacteriosis, it was found that clinical symptoms of these patients appeared not to be mild than those of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The patients with atypical mycobacteriosis had been treated for pulmonary tuberculosis for a long time and they showed no improvement.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.483-494
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• 1993

Cell surface antigenic relationships between pathogenic mycobacteria have been investigated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using phenolkilled cells and their rabbits antisera. Homologous and heterologous reactions of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare antisera before and after homologous and heterologous absorption revealed a close antigenic relationship between strains of the same species and between species if they were members of M. avium(MA)-intracellulare(MI)-scrofulaceum(MG) complex. MAI sera showed a considerable reaction with M. kansasii(MK) and tuberculosis(MTB), but not with the other species. MA(K40004) antiserum reacted with other mycobacteria except few strains of MI and 50~89% of homologous reaction was reduced by heterologous absorption with cells of MI or MS. Intraspecific reaction of MI antisera was natural1y stronger than interspecific reaction and different in extent due to a magnitude of antigenic sharing. Antigenic relationships between N-260D, N-260R, N-260T, and K41014 was somewhat closer than that with N-242D, N-257T, N-28ID, and N-275T. M. nonchromogenicum(MNC) antisera showed a strong interspecific reaction with exception of M. chelonei(MC) and triviale(MTV) to which they reacted weakly or none. Antigenic sharing with M. terrae(MTR) and MG(K30003) was next to intraspecific sharing. NC-3 shared antigens considerably with MA, MC, and M. fortuitum(MF) while NC-11 did not. MTR antisera showed a strong cross-reaction with MI but their homologous reaction was not reduced by MI absorption indicating a paucity of shared antigen of MTR surface. Intraspecific antigenic sharing of course was large with on exception between T-8 and T-13. A considerable amount of antigenic sharing was also found with MNC, MC and MF. Unlike T-8 serum, T-13 antiserum strongly cross-reacted with MA, MG, MK, and MTB. In general, antigenic relationships of mycobacteria, that have been elucidated in this study, well conformed to taxons delineated by the various biological and biochemical means.