Structures of the Glycolipid Antigens of Members of the third Biovariant Complex of Mycobacterium Fortuitum

Among the fast‐growing mycobacteria, members of the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex are the most‐commonly cited opportunistic human pathogens, notably in post‐surgical infections. Previous studies showed that this complex was composed of four well‐identified species and a group of isolates that did not correspond to recognized species, which has been referred to as the third biovariant complex. The occurrence and chemical structure of the glycolipid antigens of six strains that belong to this latter group were examined in the present study. Based on the TLC profiles, resistance to alkali and seroreactivities of their glycolipids, the examined strains were classified into three groups: one group was devoid of species‐specific glycolipid and the two other groups contained alkali‐stable or alkali‐labile glycoconjugates. The structures of the major glycolipid antigens of the latter two groups were elucidated by fastatom‐bombardment MS, one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional NMR spectroscopy and conventional chemical analyses. The alkali‐stable glycolipids were structurally identical to the C‐mycoside‐type glycopeptidolipids characterized in the taxonomically related species Mycobacterium peregrinum. The major alkali‐labile glycolipid was identified as β‐Glcp ‐(1→6)‐α‐Glcp 2Acyl‐(l→l)‐α‐Glcp 3,4,6Acyl3. The acyl substituents consisted of one acetyl group and three fatty acyl residues composed mainly of tetradecanoyl residues, but significant amounts of 2‐methylhexadecanoyl and 2‐methyloctadecanoyl substituents were also present. The heterogeneity of the glycolipid content of members of the third biovariant complex of M. fortuitum demonstrated in the present study confirms the heterogeneity of the complex. In addition, the occurrence of a species‐specific glycolipid in some strains supports the hypothesis that some strains of this complex of M. fortuitum may belong to a new mycobacterial species.