Open AccessViability of Mycobacterium leprae after multiplication in mice
Author(s) -
Theodosia M. Welch,
Robert H. Gelber,
L P Murray,
Herman Ng,
Sheila O’Neill,
Louis Levy
Publication year - 1980
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.30.2.325-328.1980
Subject(s) - mycobacterium leprae , biology , inoculation , microbiology and biotechnology , staining , multiplication (music) , bacteria , virology , mycobacterium , leprosy , immunology , genetics , physics , acoustics
To measure the rate at which Mycobacterium leprae are killed in the course of the mouse footpad infection after the maximum of multiplication has been achieved, M. leprae were harvested shortly before and at intervals after multiplication had reached the level of 10(6) organisms per footpad, serially diluted, and inoculated into the footpads of passage mice. Beginning 1 year later, foot-by-foot harvests of M. leprae were performed from passage mice, and the proportion of viable organisms in the passage inocula was calculated by means of a most-probable-number calculation. In addition, the proportion of solidly staining M. leprae was measured in the passage inocula. The proportion of viable M. leprae in the passage inocula was found to decrease with the time after multiplication to 10(6) organisms per footpad of donor mice; the half-time of loss of viable M. leprae was 25 days. The proportion of solidly staining organisms appeared to be directly related to the proportion of viable organisms, as measured by mouse passage, and inversely proportional to the time after multiplication to 10(6) organisms per footpad.