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The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1961 Jul 1;114(1):75–87. doi: 10.1084/jem.114.1.75

STUDIES ON TUBERCLE BACILLUS-MONOCYTE RELATIONSHIP

IV. EFFECTS OF PASSAGE IN NORMAL AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS UPON VIRULENT BACILLI

Jacob Fong 1, Dennis Chin 1, Sanford S Elberg 1
PMCID: PMC2137446  PMID: 13700570

Abstract

Passage of the virulent H37Rv strain of tubercle bacillus in normal or immune systems (normal or immune monocytes suspended in the corresponding serum) resulted in decreased virulence of the bacilli; this was evidenced by the very low mortality rates in mice inoculated intravenously with passaged bacilli. Passaged bacilli when cultivated directly in tween-albumin medium or when grown on glycerol-blood agar plates after recovery from infected mouse tissues proved as virulent as unpassaged bacilli. The decreased virulence of passaged H37Rv was accompanied by loss of ability to bind neutral red. Passaged H37Rv was more sensitive than unpassaged bacilli to inactivation by sodium oleate and by normal monocyte lysate; however, passaged H37Rv was more resistant than unpassaged bacilli to inhibition by streptomycin.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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