Macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid do not represent macrophages in granulomas of the lungs of BCG-infected mice.

In normal mice the phenotype of macrophages in the BAL fluid accurately reflects the phenotype found for the macrophages in the alveoli, but in BCG-infected mice the macrophages in the BAL fluid do not resemble those occurring in either the alveolar spaces or the granulomatous lesions.