[Amino acid metabolism by thin layer chromatography for the differentiation of Bordetella and Alcaligenes species].

The amino acid metabolism of Bordetella and Alcaligenes strains was investigated for differentiation purposes. All species investigated reacted differently with a number of amino acids. The genus Bordetella could be differentiated from that of Alcaligenes by its inability to metabolize L-lysine, L-arginine and D-histidine. The recently described species Bordetella avium, as well as Achromobacter xylosoxidans (Yabuuchi), considered as Alcaligenes denitrificans subsp. xylosoxidans, presented themselves as independent species too. Bordetella odorans, now assigned to the species Alcaligenes faecalis was indistinguishable from the other strains of Alcaligenes faecalis investigated.