Cattle were inoculated with Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or Mycobacterium kansasii to compare the
antigen-specific immune responses to various patterns of mycobacterial disease. Disease expression ranged from colonization with associated pathology (M. bovis
infection) and colonization without pathology (M.
tuberculosis infection) to no colonization or pathology (M. kansasii
infection). Delayed-type
hypersensitivity and
gamma interferon responses were elicited by each mycobacterial inoculation; however, the responses by the M. bovis- and M.
tuberculosis-inoculated animals exceeded those of the M. kansasii-inoculated animals. Specific antibody responses were detected in all M.
tuberculosis- and M. bovis-inoculated cattle 3 weeks after inoculation. From 6 to 16 weeks after M.
tuberculosis inoculation, the antibody responses waned, whereas the responses persisted with M. bovis
infection. With M. kansasii inoculation, initial early antibody responses waned by 10 weeks after inoculation and then increased 2 weeks after the injection of purified
protein derivative for the skin test at 18 weeks after challenge. These findings indicate that antibody responses are associated with the
antigen burden rather than the pathology, cellular immune responses to
tuberculin correlate with
infection but not necessarily with the pathology or bacterial burden, and exposure to mycobacterial
antigens may elicit an antibody response in a presensitized animal.