Oral Actinomyces isolates forming red colonies on brain heart blood agar can bee unambiguously classified as A odontolyticus by macroscopic examination.
The accurate classification of oral Actinomyces isolates as one species is difficult. Out of 18 Actinomyces isolates forming red colonies on brain heart blood agar, 12 could be straightforwardly assigned as Actinomyces odontolyticus by biochemical, morphological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics. For the remaining six isolates, the results of the different identification methods were inconsistent. By sequencing a 16S ribosomal DNA fragment by a rapid mass spectrometric method, all isolates could be identified unambiguously as A. odontolyticus. This result proves the importance of red colony pigmentation on brain heart blood agar together with the characteristic cell morphology for unequivocal assignment of oral Actinomyces isolates to the species A. odontolyticus.
Kaetzke
Annette
A
Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Körner
Henrike
H
Kneist
Susanne
S
Eschrich
Klaus
K
D000190:Actinomyces / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000362:Agar; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001483:Base Sequence; D001769:Blood; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D006321:Heart / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D000362:Agar