Lack of correlation between colony morphology and lipooligosaccharide content in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

The possible correlation between the occurrence of lipooligosaccharide and the morphology of the colonies in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was studied. Eighteen strains, including the smooth colony-forming Canetti strain and its spontaneous rough mutant, were examined for their glycolipid content and the smoothness and roughness of the colonies. The results showed that the presence of lipooligosaccharides was not related to colony morphology.