@article{1565,
  keywords = {Antigens, Bacterial, Collodion, Cross Reactions, Humans, Immunity, Cellular, leprosy, Lymphocyte Activation, Mycobacterium leprae},
  author = {Sachdeva G and Kaur G and Bhutani L K and Bamezai R N},
  title = {Lymphoproliferative responses of leprosy patients and healthy controls to nitrocellulose-bound M. leprae antigens.},
  abstract = {<p>The lymphoproliferative responses of 51 leprosy patients and 11 healthy contacts were analyzed using the nitrocellulose-bound specific antigen fractions from the cell-free extract of Mycobacterium leprae. The main proliferation-inducing fraction for peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the healthy contacts was found to be the Fraction II, bearing antigens in the range of 66-45 kDa. However, this fraction failed to induce lymphoproliferation in the leprosy patients, unlike healthy contacts (p < 0.032). The number of responders as well as the strength of the responses to 66-45 kDa proteins were found to be low in the leprosy patients compared to the healthy contacts. Further, preliminary analysis with the subfractions of Fraction II produced a similar pattern, suggesting that the immune response to the antigens in the range of 66-45 kDa M. leprae proteins remains suppressed in subjects with clinical signs and symptoms of the disease.</p>},
  year = {1999},
  journal = {International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association},
  volume = {67},
  pages = {133-42},
  month = {1999 Jun},
  issn = {0148-916X},
  url = {http://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v67n2a03.pdf},
  language = {eng},
}