ABSTRACT
An acid-fast microorganism has been isolated from four cases of human lepromatous leprosy in a tissue culture system consisting of the SPG fibrocytic cell line derived from human fetal spinal ganglia. The organisms, designated the "ICRC bacillus", can be grown and maintained in the conditioned fluid of the stock cells. It can become adapted to solid bacteriologic media after about six months maintenance in the modified fluid. The in vitro behavior of this organism has been studied in detail. Growth characteristics, growth pattern, growth rate and bacteriologic studies are reported and discussed in the light of relevant literature.
Subject(s)
Leprosy , Leprosy, Lepromatous/classification , Mycobacterium/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
The studies which have been presented here bring out five essential features of leprosy which have been abscure hitherto. 1. It is unnecessary to the likelihood of portals of entry for leprosy bacilli to the human body other than healthy or slightly altered skin from the point or points of entry in the skin the bacilli their way anywhere under the epidermis, through the inter-communicating superficial lymphatic network. 2. All leprosy is neural in its inception, inasmuch as the spread of micro-organisms is or along nerve fibres in initial stages. The bacilli are attracted towards the degenerating and regenerating nerve fibres in cutaneous nerve plexuses. 3. The proneness of children to acquire the disease is explained on the basis of a continuous growth and change in the skin in childhood and the special liability of the cutaneous nerve plexuses to damage. 4. It is evident that as a therapeutic measure designed to control the course of the didease, the therapeutic agent or its products must reach the axonal substance so as to be able to exert their influence on the bacilli
