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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Identification of Virulence Markers of Mycobacterium abscessus for Intracellular Replication in Phagocytes
Published on: September 27, 2018
Cellular reaction to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) clinical isolates differing in hemolytic activity and
M Brzychcy1, Z Zwolska, Z Andrzejczyk
1Department of Infectious Biology, University of Lódź, Poland.
Abstract:
In this study we showed that Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) clinical isolates differed by the expression of hemolytic activity. Two hemolytic MAC strains were less susceptible to the mycobactericidal effect of murine macrophages than two unhemolytic MAC isolates. In vivo, hemolytic MAC bacilli survived in the spleens of infected mice for a longer time than unhemolytic MAC strains. This suggested a role of hemolysins in the virulence of MAC strains. There was no difference in the cytotoxicity of T cells from mice immunized with M. bovis BCG towards macrophages infected in vitro with MAC strains expressing or not expressing hemolytic activity.
