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Continuous Culture of Mycobacteria

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Mycobacteria Protocols

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 465))

Abstract

Batch cultures have predominately been used for the study of physiology and gene expression in mycobacteria. This chapter describes the assembly of chemostats and the methodology that is being used for growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in continuous culture, which provides the greatest control over experimental conditions. It is difficult to determine the underlying genetic changes that enable M. tuberculosis to adapt to the host environment, but in vitro experiments aid the interpretation of gene expression profiles of the bacillus in vivo. Selecting relevant host conditions for study presents a major challenge. Oxygen availability has been identified as an important environmental stimulus and is a simple parameter to adjust and monitor. Described here are continuous culture methods to determine the response of M. tuberculosis to low oxygen environments.

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Acknowledgments

This was funded by the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency, UK. The views expressed in this chapter are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health or Health Protection Agency. The authors acknowledge Dr. Brian James for the huge contribution he has made to the development of chemostat models for the growth of M. tuberculosis. The authors also express their gratitude to Jon Allnutt for technical information and to Prof. Philip Marsh for his constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TB Research, Health Protection Agency, CEPR, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 OJG, UK

    Joanna Bacon PhD

  2. TB Research Programme, CEPR, Health Protection Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK

    Kim A. Hatch MSc

Authors
  1. Joanna Bacon PhD
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  2. Kim A. Hatch MSc
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joanna Bacon PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen Mary's School of Med. & Dentistry, Inst. Cell & Molecular Science, Barts and the London, Newark Street 4, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom

    Tanya Parish

  2. Queen Mary's School of Med. & Dentistry, Inst. Cell & Molecular Science, Barts and the London, Newark Street 4, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom

    Amanda Claire Brown

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© 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Bacon, J., Hatch, K.A. (2009). Continuous Culture of Mycobacteria. In: Parish, T., Brown, A. (eds) Mycobacteria Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 465. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-207-6_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-207-6_10

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-889-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-207-6

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