Protective immunity to experimental tuberculosis by mannophosphoinositides of mycobacteria.

Mannophosphoinositides isolated from mycobacterial cells were found to induce both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in mice when injected as mannoside-methylated bovine serum albumin (MBSA) complexes. Immunization of mice with mannoside-MBSA complexes elicited significant protection against challenge with LD50 dose of M. tuberculosis H37Rv as revealed by high survival rate, low values of root-specific lung weight, lung densities and colony forming units recovered from lung, liver and spleen, compared to the nonimmunized group. These observations were further substantiated by histopathological studies. The protective immunity elicited by mannoside-MBSA complexes against challenge with M. tuberculosis H37Rv was mediated by the cooperation of T-B cells, as shown by the passive transfer of immune cells/sera into syngeneic sublethally irradiated recipient mice.