A preliminary study of the effect of contact with environmental mycobacteria on the pattern of sensitivity to a range of new tuberculins amongst Ugandan adults.

A range of new Tuberculins prepared from extracts of living organisms belonging to 12 mycobacterial species has been used to assess the effect of BCG immunization and contact with environmental mycobacteria on Ugandan adults. A total of 2,456 tests were carried out on 562 people, 86% of whom came from three areas selected for special study. These areas were chosen on the basis of occurrence of leprosy and M. ulcerans infection and on data concerning the distribution of environmental mycobacteria. It was found that the effect of BCG was small compared with that previously observed amongst Kenyan schoolchildren, but that the effect of geographical origin was considerable. There was some correlation between the percentages of reactivity to the reagents and the frequency of mycobacteria in the environment.