THE FATE OF MYCOBACTERIUM-TUBERCULOSIS IN ACTIVATED HUMAN MACROPHAGES

Human peripheral blood monocytes, that are unstimulated irt vitro, per mit free multiplication of intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis af ter 72 h in culture, There was no Billing of bacilli in the intracellu lar environment even after in vitro activation of monocytes with a coc ktail of lipopolysaccharide, phorbol myristate acetate, interferon gam ma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. We also tested the ability of ade nosine triphosphate (ATP) in reducing the intracellular viability of m ycobacteria, Infected monocytes upon ATP treatment underwent cell deat h, but no loss in the intracellular viability of M. tuberculosis or M. smegmatis could file observed.