DETECTION OF SMALL NUMBERS OF TUBERCLE BACILLI IN TREATED SPECIMENS - COMPARISON OF MICE, GUINEA PIGS, AND ARTIFICIAL MEDIA

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Abstract
C57 black mice, inoculated intranasally, and guinea pigs, inoculated intramusc, are more reliable than culture methods for detecting small numbers of tubercle bacilli in clinical material treated with NaOH or Na3PO4-12H2O. With sputum containing large numbers of bacilli, culture alone was adequate. The possibility of using mice instead of guinea pigs is suggested. The ad-vantage lies in economy, speed of development of detectable lesions, and ease of bacteriologic confirmation. The disadvantage is the marked tendency to develop non-specific lung lesions, which must be examined microscopically to exclude tuberculosis.