Ultrastructure of the interaction between mycobacterium tuberculosis- H37Rv-containing phagosomes and the lysosomal compartment in human alveolar macrophages.

The ultrastructure of the interaction between the lysosomal compartment and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis-containing phagosomes in human resident alveolar macrophages has been analyzed in detail. Our findings confirm the widely accepted notion that the parasitophore vacuole is made nonfusogenic by the microorganism; however, the association between the lysosomal compartment and the phagosomes does not seem to be impaired as the organelles were shown to spread around the ingested pathogen. Furthermore, interruptions in the phagosome membrane that connect the bacterial surface with the cytosol were observed.