Hepper K P, Collins F M
Immunology. 1984 Oct;53(2):357-64.
Growth of Mycobacterium kansasii TMC 1203 in B6D2 F1 hybrid mice was associated with increased splenic cellular proliferation, hyperplasia and the generation of non-specific antibacterial resistance. Both responses were dose dependent; the larger the inoculum, the more rapid and extensive the cellular response. However, such mice were still unable to reduce the mycobacterial load within the tissues, apparently because of their inherent resistance to inactivation by immunologically activated macrophages. On the other hand, mice infected with the non-persistent strain of M. kansasii 1214 exhibited only a transient increase in non-specific (anti-listeria) resistance which rapidly declined as the number of viable mycobacteria within the spleen fell below an arbitrary threshold level. Mice infected with either M. kansasii 1203 or 1214 could be immunized with sheep red blood cells (SRBCs), an unrelated T cell-dependent antigen. The humoral (PFC) response was not affected by the mycobacterial load within the spleen. However, the delayed footpad swelling reaction was severely depressed. The latter could be restored merely by increasing the size of the intravenous sensitizing inoculum 100-fold. The present study indicates that mice chronically infected with M. kansasii are not severely immunosuppressed (as had been inferred from earlier in vitro lymphoproliferation studies) but are fully capable of responding to appropriate in vivo stimuli.
堪萨斯分枝杆菌TMC 1203在B6D2 F1杂交小鼠体内的生长与脾脏细胞增殖增加、增生以及非特异性抗菌抵抗力的产生有关。这两种反应均呈剂量依赖性；接种量越大，细胞反应越快且越广泛。然而，这类小鼠仍无法降低组织内的分枝杆菌载量，显然是因为它们对免疫激活巨噬细胞的灭活具有固有抗性。另一方面，感染堪萨斯分枝杆菌1214非持续性菌株的小鼠仅表现出非特异性（抗李斯特菌）抵抗力的短暂增加，随着脾脏内活菌数量降至任意阈值水平以下，这种抵抗力迅速下降。感染堪萨斯分枝杆菌1203或1214的小鼠可用绵羊红细胞（SRBCs）进行免疫，绵羊红细胞是一种不相关的T细胞依赖性抗原。体液（PFC）反应不受脾脏内分枝杆菌载量的影响。然而，迟发型足垫肿胀反应严重受抑。仅通过将静脉致敏接种量增大100倍即可恢复迟发型足垫肿胀反应。本研究表明，长期感染堪萨斯分枝杆菌的小鼠并未受到严重免疫抑制（正如早期体外淋巴细胞增殖研究所推断的那样），但完全有能力对适当的体内刺激作出反应。
