Comparative intracellular growth of difficult-to-grow and other mycobacteria in a macrophage cell line.

We have recently developed a murine macrophage cell line (J-774) model which permits the growth of various mycobacteria (8). The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the intracellular growth of various difficult-to-grow mycobacteria (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, M. ulcerans), and other pathogenic (M. tuberculosis H37Rv, M. kansasii, M. bovis) and nonpathogenic or avirulent (M. tuberculosis H37Ra, M. bovis BCG, M. gastri) mycobacteria. Electron microscopic studies were also performed to elucidate whether the formation of an electron-transparent zone (ETZ) around phagocytized bacilli was linked to their intramacrophagic survival. Furthermore, the comparison of intracellular growth of a pathogenic (M. kansasii) and nonpathogenic (M. gastri) mycobacteria sharing the same phenolic glycolipid antigen at their surface (Mycoside-A, 5), suggested that these antigens did not play a primary role in intracellular survival and multiplication of these bacteria. Also, we were unable to propagate M. ulcerans inside J-774 macrophages, which were massively lyzed after infection (due to a characteristic toxin secreted inside the macrophages?). These results are discussed in terms of the validity of the J-774 model for studying intracellular growth of mycobacteria.