[Relationship between the culture medium and the fatty acid composition of diphtheria and non-pathogenic corynebacteria].

The gasochromatic method was applied to the study of the cellular fatty acids composition in diphtheria and nonpathogenic corynebacteria (diphtheroids and psendo diptheria bacillus). Marked differences in the content of unsaturated fatty acids were revealed in them. Thus, palmito leic acid served the preponderant unsaturated fatty acid in Corynebacteria diphtheriae, and unsaturated fatty acids with 18 carbon atoms (octadeconoic and linoleic)--in nonpathogenic corynebacteria. The mentioned changes permit use this sign as differential. When grown on Loeffler's medium all the corynebacteria under study had a similar fatty acid composition characterized by the prevalence of unsaturated fatty acids with 18 carbon atoms. On the basis of studying the fatty acid spectrum of the nutrient media used it is supposed that one of the factors determining the revealed dependence of the corynebacterial fatty acid composition on the culture medium was the fatty acid composition of the latter.