@article{18420,
  keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Bacterial, Antigens, Bacterial, Child, Dapsone, Drug Resistance, Microbial, Drug Therapy, Combination, Female, Glycolipids, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Immunoglobulin M, Leprostatic Agents, Leprosy, Borderline, Leprosy, lepromatous, Lipopolysaccharides, Male, Middle Aged, Mycobacterium leprae, Rifampin},
  author = {Roche P W and Britton W J and Failbus S S and Neupane K D and Theuvenet W J},
  title = {Serological monitoring of the response to chemotherapy in leprosy patients.},
  abstract = {<p>Sixty-five patients initially seropositive for IgM anti-phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) antibodies were tested for antibody levels to PGL-I, lipoarabinomannan (LAM), and the 35-kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae at regular intervals for up to 30 months following the commencement of multidrug therapy (MDT). There was a steady decline in IgM anti-PGL-I and anti-35-kDa antibody levels to a mean of 17% and 14%, respectively, of the starting level at 24 months. The development of type 1 and type 2 reactions or the presence of drug-resistant organisms in a small number of patients had no significant influence on the changes in antibody level. The rate of decline was similar in different disease categories, but a higher proportion of lepromatous patients remained seropositive at the end of 2 years of treatment than borderline tuberculoid patients. By contrast, the mean IgG anti-LAM antibody levels remained stable or increased. Again the occurrence of type 1 or type 2 reactions had no significant effect on antibody level over 2 years. Falls in the IgM anti-PGL-I antibody levels mirrored the falls in the bacterial index in individual patients and provide an additional parameter for monitoring the response to chemotherapy.</p>
},
  year = {1993},
  journal = {International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association},
  volume = {61},
  pages = {35-43},
  month = {1993 Mar},
  issn = {0148-916X},
  url = {http://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v61n1a07.pdf},
  language = {eng},
}