Contributions to the Studies on the Pathogenicity and Virulence of the Tubercle Bacillus : Hemolysis caused by the dense bacterial suspension

Abstract

The hemolytic action of the tubercle bacillus was studied as one of its biological properties. The active substances of this hemolysis were contained in the acetone-soluble fatt and phosphatide, namely in lipid fraction of tubercle bacilli. This hemolysis made possible to distinguish in vitro the pathogenic mycobacteria from the non-pathogenic ones and also to differentiate attenuated bacillus from virulent ones. This hemolytic action may be considered as one of the main factors on which the virulence of the tubercle bacillus possibly depends.