BACKGROUND: The combined use of liquid media and solid media is recommended for mycobacterial culture. We evaluated diagnostic performance of combination of BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT; Becton Dickinson, USA) and 2% Ogawa media (Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Korea) for recovery of mycobacteria. METHODS: In September 2007, 1,764 specimens from 1,059 patients were cultured with MGIT and Ogawa. Acid fast bacilli (AFB) smear was fluorochrome-stained. The isolates were identified into Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) with PCR using Seeplex TB Detection Kit (Seegene, Korea). Recovery rate, time to detection (TTD), contamination rate, mixed growth rate and species distribution were analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-five specimens (13.3%) from 165 patients (15.6%) were positive for mycobacterial culture. Recovery rates of mycobacteria from the group using both media, MGIT only, and Ogawa only were 13.3%, 12.1%, and 7.8%, respectively. While MGIT recovered 98.9% of MTB and 79.7% of NTM, Ogawa recovered 65.9% of MTB and 54.1% of NTM. TTDs of total mycobacteria/MTB/NTM in MGIT and Ogawa were 10.6/11.4/9.7 days and 31/29/33 days, respectively. MGIT TTDs of total mycobacteria/MTB/NTM from AFB-positive specimens were significantly shorter than those of AFB-negative specimens; 8.2/9.5/4.4 days vs 11.6/12.7/10.7 days. Contamination and mixed growth rate of MGIT were 9.6% and 3.7%. Primary culture of Ogawa recovered 1 MTB and 1 NTM among the 170 MGIT-contaminated specimens and 38 mycobacteria among 66 specimens that showed mixed cultures of MGIT. CONCLUSIONS: MGIT warrants sensitive and rapid isolation of mycobacteria. However, the combination of MGIT and Ogawa is more desirable to recover mycobacteria in the case of contaminations or mixed cultures.
*Culture Media ; False Positive Reactions ; Humans ; Mycobacterium/*growth & development/isolation & purification ; Mycobacterium Infections/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*growth & development/isolation & purification ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum/microbiology ; Time Factors

Efforts have been made to accomplish a long term in vitro cultivation of mouse peritoneal macrophage as a host cell for growth of Mycobacterium lepraemurium. Following the inoculation with live or heat-killed Myco. lepraemuriuum of cultured macrophages either on a cover-slip in Leighton tube or in a small petri dish, microscopic observations of acid-fast (AF) stained slide preparation, and total counts of AF bacilli that were released by ultrasonic treatment from the macrophages in small petri dish have been followed in order to present microscopic and quantitative evidence of the actual multiplication of Myco. lepraemurium in cultured mouse peritoneal macrophage. The results are summarized and conclusions are as follows; 1. Successful long term in vitro cultivation of mouse peritoneal macrophage has been accomplished. The growth medium for tissue culture consisted of NCTC 109;50% heat-inactivated calf serum; 40% and beef embryo extract (diluted 1 : 5); 10% and the medium was renewed every 3 to 4 days. The incubation temperature was 37 degrees C; before and at 30 degrees C; after the inoculation with Myco. lepramurium. The CO2 content inside the CO2 humidity incubator for the cultivation of macrophage was kept at 5%. 2. In cultures of macrophage inoculated with live Myco. lepraemurium, clear features of increases in the number of AF bacilli inside individual cell, of elongation of bacill and of increased solidity in AF staining were observed. However, these features were absent in cultlires of macrophage inoculated with heat-killed Myco. lepraemurium. 3. The ultrasonic treatment of macrophage inoculated with 1ive Myco. lepraemurium, and the quantitative assessment of total number of AF bacilli through the course of 6 to 8 weeks after inoculation has provided partial but substantial evidence of actual multiplication of Myco. lepraemurium in cultured macrophages.
Animal ; Female ; Macrophages/microbiology* ; Mice ; Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development* ; Peritoneum/cytology ; Tissue Culture

Various primary cells and an established cell line were cultured in roller tubes and in suspension to evaluate their potential roles as host cells to support the growth of M. leprae in vitro. The primary cells originated from the organs of chipmunks, mice and humans. Phagocytic ability of those cells except for macrophages was found to be low and did not vary much according to their origin. However, when macrophages from mice peritonial exudate were exposed to the bacteria, the phagocytic efficiency was higher than 47%. In spite of those good primary results, the macrophages are not cells which can adapt well in vitro for long term culture, which is essential for the growth of such a slow growing M. leprae. Thus, somatic cell hybridization between the macrophages and HeLa was made by fusing them with polyethylene glycole. Those hybrids appeared to have both the characteristics of the parent cells, which can provide a natural intracellular environment such as the macrophages and the infinite growth capability of the HeLa cells in vitro.
Animal ; Culture Media ; Hela Cells ; Human ; Hybrid Cells ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development* ; Sciuridae

Various primary cells and an established cell line were cultured in roller tubes and in suspension to evaluate their potential roles as host cells to support the growth of M. leprae in vitro. The primary cells originated from the organs of chipmunks, mice and humans. Phagocytic ability of those cells except for macrophages was found to be low and did not vary much according to their origin. However, when macrophages from mice peritonial exudate were exposed to the bacteria, the phagocytic efficiency was higher than 47%. In spite of those good primary results, the macrophages are not cells which can adapt well in vitro for long term culture, which is essential for the growth of such a slow growing M. leprae. Thus, somatic cell hybridization between the macrophages and HeLa was made by fusing them with polyethylene glycole. Those hybrids appeared to have both the characteristics of the parent cells, which can provide a natural intracellular environment such as the macrophages and the infinite growth capability of the HeLa cells in vitro.
Animal ; Culture Media ; Hela Cells ; Human ; Hybrid Cells ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development* ; Sciuridae

To grow Mycobacterium leprae in cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages, studies were made on 1) the purification of M. leprae from lepromatous nodules by trypsinization, 2) growth experiment of purified M. leprae in cu1tured macrophages by in vivo infection-in vitro cultivation technique and 3) the observation of pathological changes in sp1eens of mice induced by intraperitoneal inoculation of purified M. leprae. Results are summarized as follows. 1. A simple and effective procedure is described for purification of M. leprae from biopsied nodules of lepromatous leprosy patients by trypsinization and high speed centrifugation. The procedure resulted in a good yie1d of homogeneous preparation of M. leprae with a negligible contamination of tissue debris. 2. Significant decreases were observed in the numbers of acid-fast bacilli in cultured macrophages and of macrophages harboring acid-fast bacilli by the length of intervals between the time of intraperitoneal inoculation of purified M. leprae and the time of initiation of macrophage cultures. 3. Microscopic examination of stained preparations of macrophages cultured by in vivo infection-in vitro cultivation technique indicated that an apparent increase in the number of acid-fast bacilli in the macrophages occurred when the cultures made at 24 hours and 1 week after inoculation were maintained in vitro up to 2 months or more. 4. Pathological changes in the spleens of mice inoculated with purified M. leprae were of mainly degenerative nature in the red pulp. No multiplication of M. leprae was observed in the spleens of mice up to 5 months after inoculation.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Animal ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Human ; Leprosy/microbiology* ; Macrophages/microbiology* ; Male ; Mice ; Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development* ; Mycobacterium leprae/isolation & purification ; Peritoneum/microbiology*

Antigens, Bacterial ; genetics ; Bacterial Proteins ; Cloning, Molecular ; Interleukin-2 ; genetics ; Mycobacterium bovis ; genetics ; growth & development ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis

No abstract available.
Animal ; Child ; Clinical Trials ; Dapsone/therapeutic use* ; Haplorhini ; Human ; Leprosy/drug therapy* ; Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development ; Sciuridae/microbiology ; Time Factors

Mycobacterium (M.) vaccae is a fast-growing species of saprophytic bacteria that is widely distributed. To understand the host immune responses induced by M. vaccae isolated from bovine submaxillary lymph nodes, C57BL/6 mice were infected with reference strain M. vaccae Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and isolated M. vaccae using intraperitoneal injections. Comparison of the bacterial replication and organ pathology between M. vaccae and M. vaccae BCG revealed that M. vaccae was more malignant than M. vaccae in mice. We also demonstrated that serum from the M. vaccae-infected mice contained a higher expression level of gamma-interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-12, IL-10 and transforming growth factor beta than did the other groups, especially after week 4. Furthermore, when the numbers of CD3⁺CD4⁺IFN-γ⁺ and CD3⁺CD4⁺IL4⁺ cells in the infected mice were observed by flow cytometry, we found that a powerful T helper 1 (Th1) response was induced by M. vaccae infection, which was associated with the emergence of CD3⁺CD4⁺IFN-γ⁺ cells. However, the Th1 response declined over time, which was associated with appearance of the CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ and CD4⁺CD25⁺CD152⁺Treg cell reaction. In addition, a strong Th2 response was found. Finally, we found that M. vaccae infection increased the production of type I IFNs, which was associated with a reduced Th1 response.
Animals ; Bacillus ; Bacteria ; Chemokine CCL2 ; Flow Cytometry ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukins ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice* ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Mycobacterium* ; Pathology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

TGF-beta1 expression was studied in 25 patients with tuberculosis (lung, 9 cases and lymph node, 16 cases) using a polyclonal antibody in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue. Nineteen cases (76.0%) out of 25 cases showed TGF-beta1 expression. TGF-beta1 was present in cytoplasm of epithelioid cells and Langhans' giant cells. Pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous lymphadenitis showed different patterns of staining. Five of 9 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were positive for TGF-beta1: four of acid-fast bacilli positive cases (4/5, 80.0%) and one of acid-fast bacilli negative cases (1/4, 25.0%). However, high expression of TGF-beta1 was detected in tuberculous lymphadenitis of both acid-fast bacilli positive group (3/4, 75.0%) and acid-fast bacilli negative group (11/12, 91.7%). TGF-beta1 was also expressed in all of 6 cases of BCG-induced tuberculous lymphadenitis: 2 acid-fast bacilli positive and 4 acid-fast bacilli negative cases. TGF-beta1 expression was shown in 19 cases (86.4%) of 22 in active tuberculosis, while no TGF-beta1 expression was detected in any cases of inactive, healed tuberculosis (p<0.008). This study supports that the TGF-beta1 expression of epithelioid cells may alter their function resulting in the impaired antimycobacterial activity. Thus the increased production of TGF-beta1 may be one of the important mechanisms by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis avoids destruction by host macrophages.
Cytoplasm ; Epithelioid Cells ; Giant Cells ; Granuloma* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Macrophages* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Paraffin ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1* ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND: PCR is a widely used method for rapid and accurate diagnosis of mycobacteriosis. The sensitivity and specificity of a real time PCR kit newly developed in Korea were evaluated for detecting mycobacteria in respiratory specimens. METHODS: One hundred twenty nine Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) culture positive respiratory specimens (82 AFB stain positive and 47 stain negative specimens) were used for evaluation of the sensitivity. Nine non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) culture positive specimens were also included. For evaluation of the specificity, 48 AFB stain and culture negative respiratory specimens from patients who were initially not fully excluded from mycobacterial diseases (specificity group 1) were used. Other 51 respiratory specimens from patients who were not suspected of mycobacterial diseases were also included (specificity group 2). Real time PCR was performed by using AdvanSure TB/NTM real time PCR Kit (LG Lifescience, Korea) and SLAN real time PCR detection system (LG Lifescience). The target genes of TB and NTM were IS6110 and rpoB, respectively. RESULTS: Among 129 TB culture positive specimens, 82 of 82 AFB stain positive specimens (100%) and 35 of 47 (74.5%) stain negative specimens revealed real time PCR positivity for TB, resulting in sensitivity of 90.7%. Five of nine NTM culture positive specimens resulted in real time PCR positivity for NTM (55.6%). Forty seven of 48 specimens (97.9%) and all 51 specimens (100%) of the specificity group 1 and 2, respectively, were real time PCR negative for TB and NTM. CONCLUSIONS: AdvanSure TB/NTM real time PCR Kit should be useful for detecting TB in respiratory specimens with high sensitivity and specificity.
DNA, Bacterial/analysis ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics/growth & development/*isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Respiratory System/microbiology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Specimen Handling ; Tuberculosis/*diagnosis