title: Biochemical characteristics of various strains of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.
abstract: Biochemical activities of 20 wild-type strains and of 2 laboratory strains of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis were evaluated. Biochemical activities evaluated were growth at 30 C, 37 C, and 42 C; production of urease, niacin, pyrazinamidase, arylsulfatase, and catalase; hydrolyzation of Tween 80; reduction of nitrate and tellurite; and growth in 5% NaCl. Antimicrobial susceptibility to thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (10 micrograms/ml), neotetrazolium chloride (1:40,000), streptomycin (2 micrograms/ml), rifampin (0.25 micrograms/ml), and isoniazid (10 micrograms/ml) also was determined. Generally, M paratuberculosis was biochemically inactive, with only a few strains producing pyrazinamidase and maintaining catalase activity after heating. All strains grew optimally at 37 C, grew slightly at 30 C, and did not grow at 42 C. Wild-type strains did not grow in the presence of neotetrazolium chloride, streptomycin, and rifampin, and grew in the presence of thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide and isoniazid. Although biochemical evaluation can be used as an aid in the identification of M paratuberculosis, growth rate, and mycobactin dependency remain major criteria for positive identification.
mesh_terms: D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001192:Arylsulfatases / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D006041:Goats; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000662:veterinary; D009525:Niacin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011323:Primates; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014510:Urease / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009566:Nitrates; D009525:Niacin; D002374:Catalase; D001192:Arylsulfatases; D000581:Amidohydrolases; C022490:pyrazinamide deamidase; D014510:Urease