Effects of Isoniazid on Viability, Cell Morphologies and Acid Fastness Properties of <i>Mycobacterium avium </i>NCTC 8559 during the Growth Cycle

• DOI: 10.1159/000104470
• Publication Date: 2007-06-26T05:13:28Z
• Authors: Suriyati Mohamad; Pazilah Ibrahim; Habibah A. Wahab
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; Antitubercular Agents; Isoniazid; Mycobacterium avium; 3. Good health

Our previous study demonstrated that the effects of isoniazid (INH) on <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </i>at the cellular level varied according to the growth phases. In this study, the variations in the INH action on <i>M. avium</i> strain NCTC 8559 are reported. <i>M. avium</i> cells grown on Middlebrook 7H10 agar were harvested at different stages of their growth cycle, exposed to the minimum inhibitory concentration of INH, stained with acid-fast staining for morphological changes and acid fastness properties, and the number of colonies were evaluated for viability studies. The study demonstrated that <i>M. avium</i> NCTC 8559 cells at the initial and fragmentation stages of the growth cycle were most susceptible to INH.