The fate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in activated human macrophages

Human peripheral blood monocytes, that are unstimulated irt vitro, permit free multiplication of intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis after 72 h in culture, There was no Billing of bacilli in the intracellular environment even after in vitro activation of monocytes with a cocktail of lipopolysaccharide, phorbol myristate acetate, interferon gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. We also tested the ability of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in reducing the intracellular viability of mycobacteria, Infected monocytes upon ATP treatment underwent cell death, but no loss in the intracellular viability of M. tuberculosis or M. smegmatis could file observed.