CHEMISTRY OF THE LIPIDS OF TUBERCLE BACILLI .74. A CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF ACID-FASTNESS OF ACID-FAST BACILLI

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Abstract
Ordinary chemical compounds of known constitution, such as hydrocarbons, higher normal fatty acids, esters, higher alcohols and hydroxy acids, are not acid-fast. The only acid-fast substance which the authors were able to isolate from extracts of the human tubercle bacillus was mycolic acid. Analogous hydroxy acids,namely the bovine, avian and phleimycolic acids and leprosinic acid, are also acid-fast. The free carboxyl group of the mycolic acids appears to be essential for acid-fastness since methyl esters of the mycolic acids are not acid-fast while mycolic acid derivatives in which the hydroxyl group is combined as acetyl or iodo derivatives are acid-fast.