Reduced local growth and spread but preserved pathogenicity of a DeltapurC Mycobacterium tuberculosis auxotrophic mutant in gamma interferon receptor-deficient mice after aerosol infection.
We compared the growth levels and pathogenicities of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis MT103 clinical strain with those of the DeltapurC mutant strain MYC1551, which is auxotrophic for purine in wild-type and gamma interferon receptor (IFN-gammaR)-deficient mice. The DeltapurC strain MYC1551 grew initially in both wild-type and IFN-gammaR-deficient mice upon aerosol infection, but it grew much less than strain MT103 did. Despite the comparable bacterial burdens of the mice, IFN-gammaR-deficient mice succumbed to infection with DeltapurC strain MYC1551 from necrotic pneumonia within 6 weeks of those infected with MT103. In conclusion, the DeltapurC mutant MYC1551 displays reduced growth but retains pathogenicity. Therefore, the use of mutant strains of M. tuberculosis as live vaccines may not be recommended.
Brown
Najmeeyah
N
CNRS, 3B rue de la Ferollerie, F-45071 Orléans, France.
Jacobs
Muazzam
M
Parida
Shreemanta K
SK
Botha
Tania
T
Santos
Aldina
A
Fick
Lizette
L
Gicquel
Brigitte
B
Jackson
Mary
M
Quesniaux
Valerie
V
Ryffel
Bernhard
B
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D051379:Mice; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000032:analysis; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000209:etiology; D017471:Receptors, Interferon / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D000096743:Interferon gamma Receptor
D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D017471:Receptors, Interferon; D000096743:Interferon gamma Receptor; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse