Differential Macrophage Response to Slow- and Fast-Growing Pathogenic Mycobacteria
Figure 2
Quantification of viable mycobacteria inside THP-1 macrophages. THP-1 macrophages were infected with fast-growing (M. abscessus and M. fortuitum) or slow-growing mycobacteria (M. celatum and M. tuberculosis) using a MOI of 5. After 6 h of infection, cells were washed and incubated with fresh RPMI medium. Infected cells were incubated for 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h and washed before CFUs determinations (solid lines). As control, each mycobacterium was cultured in medium alone (without macrophages), and the CFUs were determined at the same times (dashed lines). (a) M. abscessus; (b) M. fortuitum; (c) M. celatum; (d) M. tuberculosis. The experiment was performed in triplicate and repeated on three independent occasions. ANOVA with Tukey’s post-test was carried out using a . Significant differences between the CFUs of mycobacteria that were present inside the macrophages, compared to the CFUs of mycobacteria cultured in medium alone.
