Esterification of tissue cholesterol with fatty acids in the lungs of tuberculous mice.

With the development of tuberculosis infection in mice, free cholesterol in the lungs was converted into ester with fatty acids. The esterification occurred in parallel with the increase in amounts of phospholipids and of free fatty acids in the lungs and appeared to be associated with the bacillary growth in the tissue. The fatty acids to be incorporated into the ester were mainly palmitic, linoleic, and particularly C18:1 fatty acids. However it was not determined whether these fatty acids were of host or bacillary origin.