MYCOBACTERIA AND SARCOIDOSIS

Background. Acid fast cell wall deficient forms (CWDF) of bacteria hav e been grown from blood, bronchial washings, and ocular anterior chamb er fluid from patients with sarcoidosis. A monoclonal antibody raised against Mycobacterium tuberculosis whole cell antigen (H37RV) was used to characterise further CWDF grown from the blood of patients with sa rcoidosis. Methods. Blood from 20 patients with active sarcoidosis and from 20 controls was cultured using methods favourable for the growth of CWDF: Isolates were further characterised by indirect fluorescent antibody analysis using a monoclonal antibody highly reactive with M t uberculosis. Results. CWDF were grown from the blood of 19 of 20 subje cts with sarcoidosis. All isolates stained positively with the monoclo nal antibody and with a modified Kinyoun stain. No organisms were grow n from the blood of controls. Conclusions. These data demonstrate that CWDF can be grown from the blood of nearly all patients with active s arcoidosis. The results confirm that the organisms are mycobacterial i n origin and are similar, if not identical, to M tuberculosis. Their r ole in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is unknown.