[Ultrastructural organization of tuberculosis mycobacteria]

Methodological approaches--cryoultratomy and high-voltage electron microscopy of whole cell--have been used for studying the ultrastructural organization of the tuberculous mycobacteria of the virulent H37Rv strain and BCG vaccine strain. The anatomic difference has been found between the virulent and vaccine strains, which can undoubtedly be taken as a strain difference. The presence of a developed lipid capsule sheath has been confirmed and the size of separate mycobacterial species defined more accurately.