When many infectious units of 1-3 bacilli are inhaled, a phenotypically hardy bacillus is likely to be among them. In addition, the alveolar macrophages apparently vary in their capacity to destroy bacilli [1]. Staining for acid-fast bacilli is very useful for demonstrating M. tuberculo‐ sis (A). Fig. 1 reveals histologic manifestation of tuberculosis over the time course. Histologi‐ cally, tub...

To a paper on a new method for staining tubercle bacilli with Nachtblau which the writer published in 1941, Reenstierna added a short note (1), together with a plate, on its use in staining leprosy bacilli in nasal smears, films of blood, and sections of lepromata. As was the case with tubercle bacilli, the bacilli of leprosy were found to take a dark-blue color, to appear larger and more disti...

Mycobacterium Zepraemurium multiplies in a cell-free liquid medium, referred to as NC-5, which is enriched Kirchner medium plus goat serum, a-ketoglutaric acid, cytochrome c, haemin, and L-cysteine. At 30 "C, the bacilli gradually elongated before multiplying 100to Iooo-fold. The maximum number of bacilli is reached after 8 weeks' incubation. The generation time of Mycobacterium lepraemurium is...

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is currently the world's leading cause of adult death from a single infectious disease. Sputum examination remains the cornerstone of diagnosis in epidemic situations. Automated identification of tubercle bacilli on sputum specimens would have many benefits. Objective: To use an automated method to detect tubercle bacilli in sputum specimens. Study Design: Using fl...

Observations are presented on the behavior of populations of tubercle bacilli in the tissues of mice during the administration of antimicrobial drugs. The behavior of the populations during therapy with any particular drug was different depending upon whether the tubercle bacilli were subsisting in the lung or in the spleen. Moreover, the pattern of microbial behavior was distinctive and predic...

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most important infectious diseases of man and animals, and the only available vaccine (BCG) requires urgent replacement or improvement. To facilitate this, the protective mechanisms induced by BCG require further understanding. As a live attenuated vaccine, persistence of BCG bacilli in the host may be a crucial mechanism. We have investigated the long term ...

Sixty-nine positive cultures were obtained from sixty-nine specimens of sputum from practically all stages of tuberculosis. Six of these specimens were negative by direct microscopic examination, but the cultures gave positive findings. These six specimens have been positive for tubercle bacilli at some time. Nineteen positive cultures were isolated from thirty-two specimens of feces. All these...

Tween 80 and Triton A20 are two water-dispersible, non-ionic, surface-active agents which favor dispersed growth of tubercle bacilli in aqueous media probably by wetting the bacterial surface. Tween 80 is a polyoxyethylene ester of sorbitan monooleate and is liable to enzymatic hydrolysis by lipases. Triton A20 in an arylalkyl polyether of phenol which appears resistant to the known enzymes of ...

Hog cholera bacilli fed to mice disappear from the stomach within 24 hours, but remain and perhaps multiply in the ileum for at least several weeks. They promptly penetrate the mucosa and may be found in the spleen. Bacilli introduced subcutaneously quickly pass into the intestinal tract where they may be found for some weeks. Infected mice may harbor bacilli in the spleen for several months. M...