Tuberculin shock in red mice and CF1 mice immunized with strains of BCG or Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Groups of red mice and CF1 mice immunized intravenously with varying doses of a weak and a strong strain of BCG and a strain of M. tuberculosis were challenged 3-4 weeks later with 2 or 0.5 mg of purified tuberculin injected intravenously. The shock sensitivity of the animals in the individual groups was evaluated on the basis of the number of deaths and the survival times after challenge. In the red mice, the strain of M. tuberculosis induced a significantly greater sensitivity than the BCG strains. The strong strain of BCG induced a slightly greater sensitivity than the weak strain, but the difference was not significant. The CF1 mice were more sensitive to tuberculin shock than the red mice, but any difference in the sensitivity of the animals in the individual groups immunized with the three strains could not be demonstrated.