Quantitation of seven elements in Mycobacterium phlei and Mycobacterium bovis by neutron activation analysis.

Quantitative determination of the elements potassium, sodium, manganese, magnesium, iron, cobalt and zinc was performed in mycobacteria by neutron activation analysis. Mycobacterium phlei ATCC 19 249 at different phase of growth (4, 8, 13, 23 and 37 days old cultures), and 14 days old Mycobacterium bovis BCG cultures and uninoculated semi-synthetic Sauton culture media were examined. The elements studied could be divided into three groups; sodium, potassium and magnesium could be regarded as major, iron as minor, and zinc, manganese and cobalt as trace elements. M. phlei contained, with the exception of zinc, higher amounts of elements than M. bovis. Other metals (aluminium, antimony, rubidium) could also be detected.