Abstract:
BCG treatment of rabbits, guinea pigs and rats yielded alveolar exudate cells (AEC) which had higher viability and increased potential of adherence to glass coverslips. Moreover, these AECs consisted of higher number of macrophages when obtained from animals treated with BCG. Recovery of macrophages from AECs was higher in rabbits than guinea pigs and rats. Different laboratory animals exhibited pronounced phagocytic and bactericidal activity when stimulated with BCG and compared with their respective controls. Opsonization resulted in enhanced macrophage activity.
