A research group is studying a bacterium X that binds to mucosal cells in the lu

Question

A research group is studying a bacterium X that binds to mucosal cells in the lung and invades. Wildtype X has an LD50 value of 10 bacteria when administered to mice by inhalation. Using transposon mutagenesis, the researchers have isolated two mutants of X that they call Xmut1 and Xmut2, both of which have LD50 values of 105 when inhaled by mice. However, in tissue culture cells, Xmut1 can invade the cells just as well as wild-type X, while Xmut2 cannot. Provide a possible explanation for these results.

Explanation / Answer

Since LD50 is the dose of the toxic agent that kills 50 percent of a population of animals it is based on in vivo studies with animals. However, the tissue culture studies are in vitro studies so Xmut2 might be behaving differently due to the difference in the type of study under consideration. The whole milieu of a living system might be required for the response, which cannot be replicated in invitro

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