PERSISTANCE MICROBIENNE ET HYPERSENSIBILITE TUBERCULINIQUE APRES CHIMIOTHERAPIE DANS LA TUBERCULOSE EXPERIMENTALE CHEZ LA SOURIS

In mouse experimental tuberculosis, the drug sterilizing activity was studied by comparing two types of chemotherapy, both with different drug regimens which induced rifampicin. After six months of therapy and six months of follow-up, tuberculin delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) was explored before cultivating lungs and spleen. The two types of treatment demonstrated that pyrazinamide gave benefit only when added in the initial phase of treatment, and culture-positive mice had significantly higher tuberculin DTH reactions than negative culture mice. In treatment type II, the tuberculin DTH mean size was related to the percentage of culture-positive mice in each therapeutic regimen. But variability of individual DTH reaction did not make this test predictive of the individual relapse. Hypotheses explaining these results were studied. One was tested, showing that variability of DTH reaction was higher with non-syngenic mice.