Persistence of Resistance of Tubercle Bacilli to Streptomycin During Passage Through Guinea Pigs

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Abstract
Preliminary observations indicate that resistance to streptomycin may persist after repeated subculture and storage in the refrigerator. Tubercle bacilli isolated from guinea pigs inoculated with sputum, urine or material obtained on gastric lavage from tuberculous patients who were being treated with streptomycin are as resistant as cultures isolated directly from the same materials. A comparison of resistance to streptomycin between tubercle bacilli cultured directly from sputum, urine or material removed by gastric lavage and those isolated after passage through guinea pigs reveals that cultures of tubercle bacilli from patients receiving streptomycin retain their resistance to the drug even after residence in guinea pigs for ten weeks or more and subsequent maintenance on glycerinated egg yolk agar for many weeks. In another expt. each of 14 guinea pigs was inoculated subcut. with 0.1 mg. of tubercle bacilli found to be resistant to at least 2,000 [gamma] of streptomycin per ml. of medium. Cultures isolated from 9 of those that died after periods of 61-164 days of infection were found still to be resistant to at least 2,000 [gamma]. In all 14 animals there was gross and microscopic evidence of progressive tuberculosis indistinguishable from that seen in a similar group of guinea pigs inoculated with a sensitive strain from the same patient.

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