This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Converse, P. J.
Right arrow Articles by Pitt, M. L. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Converse, P. J.
Right arrow Articles by Pitt, M. L. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, November 1998, p. 871-881, Vol. 5, No. 6
1071-412X/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Pulmonary Bovine-Type Tuberculosis in Rabbits: Bacillary Virulence, Inhaled Dose Effects, Tuberculin Sensitivity, and Mycobacterium vaccae Immunotherapy

P. J. Converse,1 A. M. Dannenberg Jr.,1,2,* T. Shigenaga,1,dagger D. N. McMurray,3 S. W. Phalen,3 J. L. Stanford,4 G. A. W. Rook,4 T. Koru-Sengul,1 Helen Abbey,1 J. E. Estep,5 and M. L. M. Pitt5

Departments of Environmental Health Sciences, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Epidemiology, and/or Biostatistics, School of Hygiene and Public Health,1 and Department of Pathology, School of Medicine,2 The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and Department of Aerobiology, Applied Research Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick,5 Maryland; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas3; and Department of Bacteriology, University College London Medical School, London, England4

Received 20 July 1998/Accepted 5 August 1998

This report elucidates four aspects of the immunology of pulmonary tuberculosis produced in rabbits: (i) the virulence of bovine-type tubercle bacilli, strain Ravenel S, (ii) systemic factors influencing the generation of visible primary pulmonary tubercles, (iii) differences in tuberculin sensitivity of rabbits and humans, and (iv) the effect of Mycobacterium vaccae immunotherapy on cavitary tuberculosis. Laboratory strain Ravenel S (ATCC 35720) was not fully virulent. Fully virulent strains produce one visible primary pulmonary tubercle for each three bacillary units inhaled. Strain ATCC 35720 produced one such tubercle for each 18 to 107 bacillary units inhaled, indicating that its virulence was reduced by 6- to 36-fold. When a low dose of this Ravenel S strain was inhaled, the host resistance (measured by the number of inhaled bacilli needed to generate one visible primary pulmonary tubercle) was increased at least 3.5-fold compared to the host resistance when a high dose was inhaled. Rabbits and humans differ in the degree and in the maintenance of their dermal sensitivities to tuberculin. Compared to rabbits, humans are 100 times more sensitive to tuberculin. Also, at 33 weeks rabbits with well-controlled cavitary tuberculosis usually showed a decrease in their tuberculin reactions of about 50% from peak values, whereas humans with such well-controlled tuberculosis are thought to maintain strong reactions for many years. These species differences may be due to desensitization to group II mycobacterial antigens in the rabbits because they have a different diet and a different type of digestive tract. M. vaccae immunotherapy of rabbits with cavitary tuberculosis produced no statistically significant effects. Experiments with many more rabbits would be required to prove whether or not such immunotherapy is beneficial.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205-2179. Phone: (410) 955-3062. Fax: (410) 955-0105. E-mail: artdann{at}jhsph.edu.

dagger Permanent address: Third Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, November 1998, p. 871-881, Vol. 5, No. 6
1071-412X/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Manabe, Y. C., Dannenberg, A. M. Jr., Tyagi, S. K., Hatem, C. L., Yoder, M., Woolwine, S. C., Zook, B. C., Pitt, M. L. M., Bishai, W. R. (2003). Different Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cause Various Spectrums of Disease in the Rabbit Model of Tuberculosis. Infect. Immun. 71: 6004-6011 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bishai, W. R., Dannenberg, A. M. Jr., Parrish, N., Ruiz, R., Chen, P., Zook, B. C., Johnson, W., Boles, J. W., Pitt, M. L. M. (1999). Virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis CDC1551 and H37Rv in Rabbits Evaluated by Lurie's Pulmonary Tubercle Count Method. Infect. Immun. 67: 4931-4934 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tsenova, L., Bergtold, A., Freedman, V. H., Young, R. A., Kaplan, G. (1999). Tumor necrosis factor alpha  is a determinant of pathogenesis and disease progression in mycobacterial infection in the central nervous system. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 5657-5662 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»