Immunochemical characteristics and differentiation of Nocardiae

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Abstract

The chemical composition of Nocardiae shows considerable heterogeneity. At least 5 cell wall groups can be distinguished by comparing the different saccharides detected chromatographically. All the pathogenic Nocardiae (N. asteroides, N. brasiliensi, N. blackwelli, N. eppingeri and N. lutea) and rare saprophytic strains contain 5 different saccharides in their cell walls: muramic acid, hexosamine, glucose, galactose and either mannose or arabinose. N. madurae, N. caprae, N. opaca and N. farcinica contain 2 to 3 saccharides: muramic acid, hexosamine and galactose. N. pelletieri contains only 2 kinds of sugars: muramic acid and hexosamine, and N. polychromogenes contains only hexosamine. According to this scheme the organisms could be serologically classified by detecting characteristic factors in the polysaccharide fractions with several antisera. The allocation to a serogroup depends on the presence or absence of these antigenic factors. Four serogroups were found.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-93
Number of pages7
JournalRevista latinoamericana de microbiologia
Volume15
Issue number2
StatePublished - 1973

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