Lipids and fatty acids of Burkholderia and Ralstonia species

Contrary to previous reports, ornithine amide lipids are produced by some s trains of Ralstonia eutropha and Ralstonia pickettii under some growth cond itions, thus eroding one of the characteristic differences from Burkholderi a spp. The proportion of phosphatidylethanolamine containing 2-hydroxy acid s also varies with growth conditions, but not significantly with growth tem perature (30 or 37 degrees C) for shake-flask cultures, unlike chemostat cu ltures of Burkholderia cepacia. Several fatty acid profiles were represente d among the isolated lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Burkholderia spp. typically had 14:0, 3-OH-14:0 and 3-OH-16:0 as major components, but in two strains of B. cepacia the LPS was relatively rich in 12:0 (rather than 14:0) or con tained 2-OH-14:0 (but little 3-OH-16:0). In two strains each of R. eutropha and R. pickettii, the LPS contained mainly 14:0 and 3-OH-14:0 with some 2- OH-14:0. In another strain of R. pickettii the LPS contained 2-OH-16:0 but not 2-OH-14:0. The data may have chemotaxonomic potential. (C) 1999 Federat ion of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved.