beta-Glucosidase activity in mycobacteria

Abstract
A procedure to test .beta.-glucosidase was developed for identification of the mycobacteria. There were 133 strains representing 17 spp. [M. terrae, M. tuberculosis, M. triviale, M. bovis, M. xenopi, M. marinum, M. fortuitum, M. kansasii, M. chelonei, M. scrofulaceum, M. smegmatis, M. szulgai, M. gordonae, M. flavescens, M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. gastri] assayed in a buffered system containing whole cells and the substrate p-nitrophenyl-.beta.-D-glucoside. Qualitative differences between species indicated that the test was useful in discriminating among the mycobacteria.