STUDIES ON THE ACID-FAST BACILLI ISOLATED FROM NATURAL SOURCE 1. Isolation and Identification Method of Acid-Fast Bacilli from Soil

• Published in: Kekkaku Vol. 53; no. 6; pp. 313 - 319
• Main Author: KIM, Sung-Kwang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR TUBERCULOSIS 01.06.1978
• Subjects: Culture Media; Japan; Korea; Methods; Mycobacterium - isolation & purification; Soil Microbiology; Japan; Korea
• ISSN: 0022-9776; 1884-2410
• DOI: 10.11400/kekkaku1923.53.313

Acid-fast organisms were isolated from 240 soil samples collected at two areas in Japan and Korea. The biological and biochemical characteristics of the isolated mycobacteria were tested and compared with those of reference strains. The isolation rate and distribution of species of mycobacteria from soil were compared on three kinds of media with special reference to two different methods of isolation as well as different geographical areas. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Acid-fast bacilli were isolated most frequently on the 1% Ogawa medium with pretreat ment of soil samples by the Sohngen's method. 2. No demonstrable difference was observed on the isolation rate between the soil from Hiroshima area and Seoul area. 3. As for Runyon's grouping, 82.6% of the isolates from Hiroshima and 75.4% from Seoul were rapid growers. Scotochromogens were isolated 9.6% and 12.3%, and nonphotochromogens 4.5% and 8.2%, respectively. No photochromogens were isolated. 4. Three hundred and thirty-six strains were collected from the 240 soil samples. Neither tubercle bacilli nor M. avium-intracellulare complex were identified. The majority was M. fortuitum regardless of the area. The slow growers, especially M. scrofulaceum, were identified much more in Seoul than in Hiroshima, but the strain M. chelonei subsp. chelonei which was obtained in Hiroshima was not observed in Seoul.