title: Two-dimensional gas chromatography with electron capture detection for the sensitive determination of specific mycobacterial lipid constituents.
abstract: A method was developed for determining two characteristic mycobacterial lipid constituents, tuberculostearic acid (as its pentafluorobenzyl ester) and 2-eicosanol (as its pentafluorobenzoyl ester), by using gas chromatography with electron capture detection. A microprocessor-controlled column-switching system (two-dimensional gas chromatography) facilitated sample preparation and increased specificity. The usefulness of the technique was illustrated by its ability to reveal picogram amounts of tuberculostearate in a suspension of Mycobacterium leprae isolated from a naturally infected armadillo. Two-dimensional gas chromatography with electron capture detection may in some instances provide a convenient alternative to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for use in demonstrating the presence of mycobacteria in a complex environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Lund University Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonesson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaels
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001135:Armadillos / Q000382:microbiology; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000032:analysis*; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000032:analysis; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000032:analysis; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D008055:Lipids; D013229:Stearic Acids; C046799:2-eicosanol; C026082:tuberculostearic acid