Multiplication of the H37Rv Strain of M. Tuberculosis on Blood and and Its Derivatives.

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Abstract
To examine the ability of blood constituents to serve as complete nutrients for the tubercle bacilli, human red blood cells, plasma, serum and fractions thereof were incorporated into physiol. saline and inoculated with varying quantities of the H37Rv strain. The data indicate that the above components contain all of the nutrient factors necessary for growing the H37Rv strain from small inocula. The active component in red blood cells is hemoglobin. 5 mg. of hemoglobin per ml. of saline was sufficient to raise between 5 and 50 organisms. The essential ingredients in plasma were more complex and will require further studies. The mixture of human fraction I and V was shown to be capable of initiating growth from large inocula but the data were not comparable with those obtained using whole serum. Similar results were obtained with bovine proantithrobmin, fibrinolysin and prothrombin.