Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Bacteria of a wild strain of Francisella tularensis were less efficiently killed by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes than were bacteria of an attenuated strain. This finding was explained to some extent by a less efficient phagocytosis, but bacteria of the wild strain also seemed to be more resistant to killing after ingestion.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Löfgren et al. (1983) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: