Comparison of lymphocyte stimulation and tuberculin skin reactivity in Mycobacterium bovis-infected Macaca mulatta.

Lymphocyte immunostimulation tests were conducted on Mycobacterium bovis-infected and tuberculin-negative rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), using purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculins prepared from strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium. The stimulation of lymphocytes with M tuberculosis PPD was significantly greater for the M bovis-infected macaques than for the noninfected controls (P smaller than 0.05). The response of lymphocytes from M bovis-infected macaques to stimulation with M tuberculosis PPD was greater than the responses to stimulation with M avium PPD (P smaller than 0.01). The results of in vitro lymphocyte stimulation and tuberculin skinreactivity were similar.