title: Mycobacterium indicus pranii as stand-alone or adjunct immunotherapeutic in treatment of experimental animal tuberculosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mycobacterium w (M.w) is a saprophytic cultivable mycobacterium and shares several antigens with M. tuberculosis. It has shown good immunomodulation in leprosy patients. Hence in the present study, the efficacy of M.w immunotherapy, alone or in combination with multi drug chemotherapeutic regimens was investigated against drug sensitive M. tuberculosis H37Rv and three clinical isolates with variable degree of drug resistance in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c mice were infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv (susceptible to all first and second line drugs) and three clinical isolates taken from the epository of the Institute. The dose of 200 bacilli was used for infection via respiratory route in an aerosol chamber. Chemotherapy (5 days/wk) was given one month after infection and the vaccinated group was given a dose of 1x107 bacilli by subcutaneous route. Bacterial load was measured at 4 and 6 wk after initiation of chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  M.w when given along with chemotherapy (4 and 6 wk) led to a greater reduction in the bacterial load in lungs and other organs of TB infected animals compared to. However, the reduction was significantly (P<0.05) more in terms of colony forming units (cfu) in both organs (lungs and spleen).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  M.w (as immunomodulator) has beneficial therapeutic effect as an adjunct to chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Animal Facility, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy & Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India.
authors.forename: Jaya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Faujdar
authors.forename: Pushpa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Mohan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Natrajan
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Katoch
authors.forename: U D
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004351:Drug Resistance; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D004338:Drug Combinations; C080550:Mycobacterium w vaccine