@article{10992,
  keywords = {Antibodies, Bacterial, Antigens, Bacterial, Disaccharides, Glycolipids, Humans, Immunoglobulin M, leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, Polynesia, Serum Albumin, Bovine},
  author = {Chanteau S and Cartel J L and Guidi C and Plichart R and Bach M A},
  title = {Seroepidemiological study on 724 household contacts of leprosy patients in French Polynesia using disaccharide-octyl-BSA as antigen.},
  abstract = {<p>A seroepidemiological surveillance of a contact population was started in 1984 in French Polynesia. The ELISA test was used to measure IgM anti-ND-O-BSA in the sera. Specific antibody levels were higher in healthy Polynesians than in normal individuals living in a nonendemic country. The positive threshold of the reaction was fixed according to this background activity in healthy Polynesians. Under these conditions, 100% of the multibacillary patients were detected as seropositive as compared to 5% of the paucibacillary group. In the population of 724 household contacts tested and observed for 2 years: 93 (12.8%) were seropositive, with 8 (1.1%) showing activity equivalent to multibacillary patients (1 of these 8 individuals developed a lepromatous form of leprosy); 631 (87%) were seronegative and 3 developed a paucibacillary form of the disease (2 BT, 1 I) without any antibody increase. Among those four contacts who developed leprosy, three were related to a multibacillary index case. These data suggest that this test may be useful for the prediction of multibacillary leprosy. A long-term surveillance of this high-risk population will be able to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of the serological assay.</p>},
  year = {1987},
  journal = {International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association},
  volume = {55},
  pages = {626-32},
  month = {1987 Dec},
  issn = {0148-916X},
  language = {eng},
}