Lipid analysis for the identification of mycobacteria: an appraisal.

A review is presented of the use of lipid analysis by thin-layer chromatography for the identification and classification of mycobacteria. Specific lipid patterns are known for 15 species (in some cases a species may exhibit more than one pattern), and these patterns normally correlate well with serotypes. In six species the lipid pattern is not very distinctive but can still be useful. No specific lipid patterns have been detected in 15 species, three of which can be classed as tubercle bacilli, and only two of the remainder are pathogenic for humans.