Chromatographic procedures have been developed for the analysis of cell wall fatty acids, amino acids (e.g., DAP), lipids, sugars, and mycolic acids (specifically). Results are not species-specific but rather used to aid in determining genus.
These methods are not easy to use and are not usually found in the clinical laboratory, but rather in research laboratories or at the state health department or CDC laboratory levels:
- Paper, gas, and thin-layer chromatography
- High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) - used primarily at state public health laboratories, universities, or the CDC for the identification of Mycobacterium species.
These methods are proving useful in the characterization of some of the aerobic actinomycetes.
Figure 16. CDC/McClure. (2004). Image #7299. This 2004 photograph showed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research biologist, Hui Ping Chen, preparing a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument. PHIL public domain. https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=7299
