Intracellular growth and cytotoxicity of Mycobacterium haemophilum in a human epithelial cell line (Hec-1-B).

We developed an in vitro model to study the temperature-regulated cytotoxicity and intracellular growth of Mycobacterium haemophilum in cultured human epithelial and endothelial cells. M. haemophilum associated with human epithelial and endothelial cells at similar rates when incubated at 33 and 37 degrees C, but only the epithelial cell line supported the multiplication of this organism. M. haemophilum grew equally well with epithelial cells at both temperatures. The aminoglycoside antibiotic amikacin was used to study the intracellular growth of M. haemophilum in the epithelial cells at 33 and 37 degrees C. Although an approximately equal number of bacteria were found within cells after 2 days of incubation at both temperatures, intracellular replication of M. haemophilum was 1,000-fold greater at 33 than at 37 degrees C. This intracellular multiplication was associated with destruction of the monolayers at 33 but not at 37 degrees C, and only culture filtrates from infected monolayers incubated at 33 degrees C were cytotoxic to fresh epithelial cell monolayers. This strain of M. haemophilum also produced contact-dependent hemolysis of sheep erythrocytes, demonstrating the possible presence of a cytolysin. These studies suggest that M. haemophilum has a preference for growth with cultured human epithelial cells. In addition, intracellular growth is best at 33 degrees C in epithelial cells, and this correlated with cytotoxicity at this temperature. This phenotype may be caused by induction of a soluble cytotoxic component, possibly a hemolytic cytolysin.