6,6'-Dimycoloyl trehalose from a rapidly growing Mycobacterium: an alternative antigen for tuberculosis serodiagnosis.

Mycobacterial O-acyltrehaloses have been described as highly specific and sensitive reagents for tuberculosis immunodiagnosis. An O-acyltrehalose-containing lipid fraction from the rapidly growing Mycobacterium fortuitum was found to include additional antigens, which presented high cross-reactivity with sera from tuberculosis-infected patients. Based on a combination of selective chemical degradations, thin-layer-chromatography analyses and (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the antigenic by-product was identified as 6,6'-dimycoloyl trehalose, the so-called cord factor.