Classification of Rapidly Growing Mycobacteria

ABSTRACTType or representative strains of rapidly growing mycobacteria were tested in respect to 97 characters and submitted to a numerical classification. The results revealed that the following species be recognized: (1) Mycobacterium rhodochrous; (2) M. chitae; (a) M. phlei; (4) M. thamnopheos; (5) M. borstelense; (6) M. fortuitum; (7) M. vaccae; (8) M. parafortuitum; (9) M. smegmatis. Biologic and biochemical characters of type strains of these species were described. M. fortuitum was divided into two subspecies, M. fortuitum subsp. fortuitum and M. fortuitum subsp. abscessus. M. runyonii is synonym of M. abscessus and therefore has been included to the subspecies abscessus. M. parafortuitum was divided into two subspecies, M. parafortuitum subsp. parafortuitum and M. parafortuitum subsp. aurum, M. aurum being reduced to a subspecies. M. smegmatis was divided into two subspecies (or varieties), M. smegmatis subsp. smegmatis and M. smegmatis subsp. lacticola.