@article{7144,
  keywords = {Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Antibodies, Bacterial, Antigens, Bacterial, Contact Tracing, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Glycolipids, Humans, Lepromin, leprosy, Lymphocyte Activation, Male, Middle Aged, Mycobacterium leprae, Residential Facilities, United Kingdom},
  author = {Dockrell H M and Eastcott H and Young S and Macfarlane A and Hussain R and Waters M F},
  title = {Possible transmission of Mycobacterium leprae in a group of UK leprosy contacts.},
  abstract = {<p>A case of infectious leprosy in residential accommodation in the UK prompted a study of the cellular and humoral response to Mycobacterium leprae in two groups of individuals who were in contact with the index case for almost a year. In the younger staff group (mean age 44 years) 23 of 30 individuals had positive Mitsuda skin tests, 25 showed lymphocyte transformation to a soluble sonciate of M leprae and 2 had slightly raised IgM antibody concentrations to the terminal disaccharide of M leprae phenolic glycolipid-1. In the older group of residents (mean age 83 years) 7 of 36 individuals were skin-test positive, 25 of 33 were positive by lymphocyte transformation, but none had raised antibody levels. When retested on two further occasions, the same 2 individuals in the younger group still had raised antibody concentrations, 1 of whom had a persistent lepromin skin-test response for over 8 months and showed a pronounced increase in lymphocyte transformation to mycobacterial antigens. The findings suggest that transmission of M leprae may have occurred in these 2 contacts, who were therefore given 6 months' chemoprophylaxis with rifampicin.</p>},
  year = {1991},
  journal = {Lancet (London, England)},
  volume = {338},
  pages = {739-43},
  month = {1991 Sep 21},
  issn = {0140-6736},
  doi = {10.1016/0140-6736(91)91454-3},
  language = {eng},
}