Brain tumours in childhood in Bombay. I: Histopathology showing changing patterns. II: Tissue culture with light and electronmicroscopy, stressing ingestion & degradation of bacteria by glial cells in vitro

The pathological pattern of 86 brain 'tumours' in childhood during the years 1981-85 (out of a total of 586 for all ages), showed a higher proportion of neoplasms and a much lower of tuberculomas compared to the preceding three decades. A large number of histologically unusual cases was revealed. Through tissue culture of brain tumours we carried out morphological, histochemical and fine structural study of the tumour cells in vitro. The abundant presence of lysosomal acid phosphatase, in outgrowing cells, correlated with the detection of lysosomal dense bodies and vacuoles in araldite sections, by light and electronmicroscopy. In view of the phagocytic propensity of schwann cells for M. leprae as the important factor in leprous neuritis, TC preparations of gliomas, (in addition to acoustic schwannomas and meningiomas), were inoculated with two mycobacteria, M. scrofulaceum and the ICRC bacillus. There was a pronounced intracytoplasmic uptake, i.e. endocytosis, of acid-fast bacilli by the growing cells of these tumours. This was confirmed by electronmicroscopy which showed intact and degrading bacilli in various stages, in such cells of a typical cerebral astrocytoma used as an illustrative case in this paper. Ingestion and Digestion appear to be an inherent property of growing tumour cells in vitro. Fine structural examination of in vitro growth of an unusual subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, not inoculated with bacilli, served as a control. Cells of both tumours showed copious autophagic activity and cytoskeletal features of developing microtubules and filaments.