Intrinsic energy potential of Mycobacterium lepraemurium essential for growth in NC-5 medium.

The intrinsic energy potential of the fastidious mycobacterium, Mycobacterium lepraemurium, essential for growth in axenic liquid medium was determined by ultraviolet irradiation of the inoculum. The growth potential in NC-5 medium of irradiated inocula was measured by an ultrasensitive method of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) using a luciferin-luciferase acceptor system. The results indicate that growth of bacilli ceased when more than one third of the ATP pool in 7 X 10(6) cells was lost. The residual level of ATP is roughly equivalent to that found in 10(5) non-irradiated cells.