Open AccessLimited Mycobacterial Infection of the Liver as a Consequence of Its Microanatomical Structure Causing Restriction of Mycobacterial Growth to Professional Phagocytes
Author(s) -
Peter Seiler,
Reto A. Schwendener,
Silke Bandermann,
Volker Brinkmann,
Leander Grode,
Stefan H. E. Kaufmann,
Peter Aichele
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.69.12.7922-7926.2001
Subject(s) - biology , mycobacterium tuberculosis , tuberculosis , microbiology and biotechnology , mycobacterium , bacteria , virology , immunology , pathology , genetics , medicine
Among sites of extrapulmonary growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the liver is the least infected. Our data suggest that this is due to the complete restriction of mycobacterial growth to liver macrophages. Unlike in organs more persistently seeded by M. tuberculosis, in the liver the bacteria do not infect cell types other than professional phagocytes.