Abstract
Summary
Studies on the in vitro interactions between S and R strains of Brucella abortus and monocytes from normal or immune guinea pigs have indicated 1) intracellular multiplication of S bacteria and a lack of, or insignificant extent of, multiplication of R bacteria in normal monocytes, 2) differences in the rate of ingestion of S and R bacteria, 3) differences in the rate of destruction of monocytes by S and R types, 4) differences in the rate of intracellular multiplication among S strains, 5) a significant modification of these events in immune monocytes, and 6) an apparently unique behavior of immunogenic, relatively avirulent strain 19-S bacteria in normal monocytes. The relation of these observations to some problems of host-parasite interactions is discussed. It also has been shown how these observations may provide the basis for a new technic of rapid assessment of the homogeneity or heterogeneity of bacterial populations in regard to properties associated with virulence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.