The use of chromatographic techniques in the identification of bacteroides species

Identification of various Bacteroides species studied in this thesis employed a range of morphological biochemical and some chemotaxonomic techniques such as short chain fatty acid analysis by gas chromatography. Also pyrolysis gas chromatography of whole cells was used, with special reference to the ability of this technique in identifying bacteroides organisms involved in an infection process. Biochemical techniques showed the use of API 20A, the miniaturised system of identification, to be superior to the conventional methods for its more consistant and rapid results. Differentiation of different species was not possible on the basis of biochemical tests alone. Gas liquid chromatography (GLC) of fermentation end products of metabolism showed a varied profile ranging from a complex pattern consisting of A,P, iB, IV, L and S (B.asaccharolyticus and B.melaninogenicus ss. macacae) to a simple pattern consisting of A,P,L and S produced by the closely related B.fragilis group. A third profile was produced by B.ruminicola ss. brevis and B.melaninogenicus ss. melaninogenicus and consisted of A,L and S. Although the use of GLC has greatly improved the taxonomy of Bacteroides speciesl Its quantitative aspects have. not been fully explored...