Effect of Penicillin on the Tubercle Bacillus In vitro.

Abstract

Using appropriate exptl. conditions, a virulent human strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been found to undergo partial lysis in the presence of high concs. of penicillin. Small inocula of tubercle bacilli are highly susceptible to concs. of penicillinaslow as 1 U./ml. in the Tween-albumin medium. In the oleic acid-albumin medium, penicillin in a conc. of 100 U./ml- causes no inhibition of growth, even with the smallest inocula. Preliminary expts. indicate that, in both the solid and liquid oleic acid-albumin medium, penicillin in concs. of 50-100 U./ml. may prove a valuable adjunct in culturing tubercle bacilli from contaminated materials.