Evolution of cell types and T-cell subsets in the spleens of Mycobacterium bovis BCG-resistant and M. bovis BCG-susceptible strains of mice after infection with M. bovis BCG.

In mice, the early host response to intravenous infection with small doses of dispersed Mycobacterium bovis BCG is controlled by the Bcg gene. After infection with a low dose of M. bovis BCG, Lyt-1+ cells were generated in the spleens of BCG-susceptible mice (Bcgs) in parallel with an increase in the proportion of phagocytic cells. Very few changes occurred in the splenic cell types of BCG-resistant mice (Bcgr).