@article{9725,
  keywords = {Antigens, Bacterial, Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic, Epitopes, Humans, Interleukin-2, leprosy, Lymphocyte Activation, Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, T-Lymphocytes, Thymidine},
  author = {Barnass S and Mace J and Steele J and Torres P and Gervasoni B and Ravioli R and TERENCIO J and Rook G A and Waters M F},
  title = {Prevalence and specificity of the enhancing effect of three types of interleukin 2 on T cell responsiveness in 97 lepromatous leprosy patients of mixed ethnic origin.},
  abstract = {<p>Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 97 predominantly lepromatous leprosy patients and 11 control subjects were tested in a lymphoproliferative assay for response to Mycobacterium leprae (whole and sonicated), and sonicated M. vaccae, M. tuberculosis, and M. scrofulaceum, in the presence and absence of three types of interleukin 2 (IL-2) (crude, purified, and recombinant). IL-2 enhanced the response to sonicated M. tuberculosis and M. leprae organisms more often in patients than in control subjects, but not significantly so and only in a minority of patients. This effect was significantly more common (though still only found in a minority of 46%) using M. leprae organisms as antigen, than when using sonicates of M. leprae (19%) or M. vaccae (19%). However it was nearly as frequent using sonicated M. tuberculosis, or M. scrofulaceum. Thus in only nine patients was the effect specific to M. leprae. Enhancement by IL-2 could not be related to the type of IL-2 used, the dose of antigen, or the amount of endogenous IL-2 released by the cells tested. Similarly it was not related to the extent to which IL-2 caused increased background proliferation in control wells, which occurred to an equal extent using cells from control subjects, nor was it related to the extent of antigen-driven proliferation. The data have also been analysed in relation to duration of disease (50 years to a few weeks) and ethnic origin. No correlations have been revealed. Thus enhancement by IL-2 of the lymphoproliferative response to mycobacterial antigens does occur using cells from lepromatous leprosy patients, but it is found in a minority of patients, it is not specific to M. leprae, and can occur with cells from normal donors.</p>},
  year = {1986},
  journal = {Clinical and experimental immunology},
  volume = {64},
  pages = {41-9},
  month = {1986 Apr},
  issn = {0009-9104},
  url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1542157/pdf/clinexpimmunol00121-0050.pdf},
  language = {eng},
}