Observations on attempted leprosy cultures in two media.

ABSTRACT

Suspensions of skin tissue material collected from lepromatous leprosy patients and material from mouse foot-pad harvests were inoculated into two media, viz., a biphasic medium and a minimal basal medium. The cultures were incubated at 37 degrees C and 15 degrees C. Small oval (or round) cells appeared in these cultures around the tenth day along with a few cystic structures; and they increased in number later, reaching the maximum around six-seven weeks. The above cells appeared acid-fast in some cultures and some of them appeared to split into pairs of acid-fast bacilli. The cells were most often seen in the biphasic medium at 37 degrees C. The identity of these structures is not known at this stage.