Rapid identification and detection of intracellular survival testing of mycobacterium smegmatis mc²155 that contains eis gene from mycobacterium tuberculosis by flow cytometry.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a facultative intracellular pathogen that has evolved the ability to survive and multiply within human macrophages. The enhanced intracellular survival (eis) gene (Rv2416c) from M. tuberculosis has been identified as a potential factor that can enhance the intracellular survival of Mycobacterium smegmatis in the macrophage cell line. However, the time requirements for intracellular survival testing of Mycobacterium using classical methodologies are still too long. In this study, we used M. smegmatis mc²155 that contains eis to develop and study a rapid method to test intracellular survival using flow cytometry. We demonstrated the success of this technique, which required only a few hours. This assay is rapid, accurate, and reproducible, and it would be valuable for the rapid detection of intracellular survival of mycobacteria.