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On the nature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-latent bacilli

¹ Dept of Microbiology, Unit of Experimental Tuberculosis, Fundació Institut per a la Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, and ² Dept of Internal Medicine, Pneumology Service, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Spain

CORRESPONDENCE: P-J. Cardona, Unitat de Tuberculosi Experimental, Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitari "Germans Trias i Pujol", Crta del Canyet s/n, 08916-Badalona, Catalonia, Spain. Fax: 34 934978895. E-mail: pcardona@ns.hugtip.scs.es

Keywords: Animal model, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pathogenesis, tuberculosis

Received: June 16, 2004
Accepted September 3, 2004

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis-latent bacilli are microorganisms that adaptto stressful conditions generated by the infected host against them. By slowing metabolism or becoming dormant, they may counterbalance these conditions and appear as silent to the immune system. Moreover, the dynamic turnover of the infected cells provokes a constant reactivation of the latent bacilli when the environmental conditions are favourable, or an activation after being dormant in necrotic and fibrotic lesions for a long period of time. Since there is no in vivo nor in vitro evidence for quick resuscitation of dormant bacilli, the current authors strongly favour the possibility that latent tuberculosis infection can be maintained for no longer than 10 yrs, which is, nowadays, a time period very close to that considered for "primary" tuberculosis. This concept may also be helpful for newer epidemiological considerations regarding the real impact of reinfection in tuberculosis.

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