Differences in the rate of intracellular killing of catalase-negative and catalase-positive Listeria monocytogenes by normal and interferon-gamma-activated macrophages.

Intracellular killing of catalase-positive bacteria by murine resident macrophages requires the presence of extracellular serum, whereas killing of catalase-negative bacteria can occur in the absence of serum. To find out whether the intracellular killing of bacteria by rIFN-gamma-activated macrophages also requires serum stimulation, we investigated the handling of ingested catalase-negative and -positive Listeria monocytogenes by peritoneal macrophages of normal Swiss mice and mice injected i.p. with 1 x 10(4) U rIFN-gamma 18 h earlier. In the absence of extracellular serum, rIFN-gamma-activated macrophages killed ingested catalase-negative Listeria more efficiently (P < 0.01) than normal resident macrophages. Maximal killing of catalase-negative bacteria by rIFN-gamma-activated macrophages required an extracellular serum concentration of only 1.0 to 2.5% compared with the 10% needed by normal macrophages. No differences were observed in the rates of intracellular killing of catalase-positive Listeria by rIFN-gamma-activated and normal resident macrophages: both populations of macrophages required 10% extracellular serum for maximal killing of these bacteria, and killing was minimal in the absence of serum. The rIFN-gamma-activated macrophages displayed enhanced O2-consumption after stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate and heat-killed Listeria compared with macrophages from normal mice. These findings indicate that, under suboptimal stimulation by extracellular serum, rIFN-gamma enhances the intracellular killing of catalase-negative Listeria which lack endogenous catalase acting as a scavenger of reactive oxygen intermediates. The mechanism underlying the enhancement is probably the amplification of the respiratory burst by IFN-gamma.