A search for the genotoxic principle associated with the tubercule bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis using mice as model

The influence of immunization with tularemia live vaccine on the clastogenic action of cyclophosphamide in mice

Tularemia live vaccine (TLV), which is widely used in the CIS, did not increase the level of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) in mice up to 30 days after intradermal immunization. The clastogenic action of cyclophosphamide (CP) was decreased significantly from day 10 till day 20 after immunization. We have studied the duration of sleep induced by hexenalum in immunized mice, since it is known that rodent sleep induced by barbiturates depends on cytochrome P-450 activity. We have shown that between the level of MN PCEs induced by CP in immunized mice and the duration of hexenalum induced sleep in immunized mice, a high reverse correlation was observed (r = -0.97). We propose that the anticlastogenic effect observed in our experiment is due to a reduction in the cytochrome P-450 activity induced by TLV immunization. The present and previous results suggest that TLV may be a potent anticlastogenic factor for mice and rats with prolonged action.