Autolysis and secondary growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in submerged culture.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been found to exhibit autolysis and spontaneous secondary growth in modified Sauton medium. The phenomenon is a function of high glycerol concentration of the medium and limitation of air in test tubes. It is not a function of depletion of nutrients and is probably not a manifestation of lysogeny or spheroplast formation. The cycle of growth, autolysis, and secondary growth is related to development of lethal conditions during a period of severe oxygen limitation followed by a metabolic change associated with slower depletion of glycerol.