title: [Biochemical properties of Corynebacterium amycolatum strains].
abstract: C. amycolatum is the most commonly isolated nonlipophilic species of Corynebacterium from clinical samples. However, the lack of good commercial identification tests in microbiology laboratories causes some difficulties in C. amycolatum diagnostics. We decided to examine biochemical and enzymatic properties of isolated strains and analyze the occurrence of particular biochemical profiles (biotypes). Perhaps it would let improve the identification schemes. 70 strains of C. amycolatum were analyzed. The estimation of biochemical properties consisted of the results of API Coryne and API ZYM tests (bioMérieux), the ability of excreting of protease, esterase, lipase and lecithinase. Analyzed strains had various biochemical and enzymatic properties. Almost all strains fermented glucose (98.6%) and maltose (95.7%) and produced pyrasinamidase (94.3%). All strains produced alkaline phosphatase and phosphohydrolase, and 95.7%--acid phosphatase. Biotypes of particular strains were determined on the biochemical reactions included in the API Coryne tests. In the group of 70 strains 21 profiles were distinguished among which 3100325 biotype (35.7%) was dominant. The lipolysis was defined on Tween 20, Tween 40, Tween 60, Tween 80 medium and with the API ZYM test usage. All strains produced esterase-lipase (esterase C-8), 95.7% of strains-esterase C-4, and 21.4% lipase C-14. Among analyzed strains 18.6% hydrolyzed Tween 20, 14.3% Tween 60, and 1.4% Tween 40. None of these strains demonstrated lipase and lecithinase activity. Difficulties in concerning C. amycolatum as pathogens justify further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Zakład Mikrobiologii, Akademia Medyczna im. L. Rydygiera w Bydgoszczy.
authors.forename: Patrycja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zalas
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mikucka
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gospodarek
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004950:Esterases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D008049:Lipase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008320:Maltose / Q000378:metabolism; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D008320:Maltose; D004950:Esterases; D010740:Phospholipases; D008049:Lipase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D005947:Glucose