A scheme for the identification of thermophilic actinomycetes associated with hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

A scheme has been developed for the identification of thermophilic actinomycetes associated with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Eighty strains, 10 Micropolyspora faeni, 6 Saccharomonospora viridis, 52 Thermoactinomyces candidus, 7 T. vulgaris, 4 T. sacchari, and 1 T. dichotomica, either isolated from patients' environment or received as authentic strains, were studied. In addition to the cultural and microscopic morphology in various media, each strain was subjected to an array of biochemical tests. These tests included decomposition of tyrosine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, gelatin, casein, esculin, and arbutin. Using a rapid thin-layer chromatography method, the isomer of diaminopimelic acid and sugar in the whole cell hydrolysate were studied. The thermophilic actinomycetes can be identified in a reasonable period of time using a combination of all these tests.