Liberated intracellular pathogen--leprosy model.

Thirty-three mycobacterial strains, 30 by culture and 3 directly from tissues, isolated from lepromatous leprosy and leprosy infected armadillos, were compared by numerial taxonomy and by antibodies from lepromatous patients. An additional 17 strains of the M-A-I-S complex were similarly compared and all strains were compared by rabbit antibodies induced by tissue bacilli from armadillos from culture HZ-15 and by members of the M-A-I-S complex. The results are discussed in terms of the identification of M. leprae against a background of prior long-held hypotheses as to the characteristics of this bacillus.