02921nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653003000079653002100109653001100130653003000141653002300171653001200194653001500206653002600221653002500247653002400272653001500296653001800311653003400329653003000363100001100393700001500404700001100419245010700430300001100537490000700548520201400555022001402569       1987                            d  c1987 Sep10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCell Migration Inhibition10aErythema Nodosum10aHumans10aHypersensitivity, Delayed10aImmunity, Cellular10aleprosy10aLeukocytes10aLymphocyte Activation10aMycobacterium leprae10aPhytohemagglutinins10aSkin Tests10aT-Lymphocytes10aT-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer10aT-Lymphocytes, Regulatory1 aLaal S1 aMishra R S1 aNath I00aType 1 reactions in leprosy--heterogeneity in T-cell functions related to the background leprosy type.  a481-930 v553 a<p>Nineteen each of paucibacillary borderline tuberculoid (BT) and multibacillary borderline borderline (BB)/borderline lepromatous (BL) leprosy patients undergoing type 1 reactions were compared with nonreactional stable patients of the appropriate leprosy type. In the BT reactional group, both phytohemagglutinin-induced and, more importantly, antigen-induced lymphoproliferation was reduced in 80%-90% of the patients. On the other hand, leukocyte migration inhibition was reduced in 40% and remained unchanged in the others. Suppressor-cell activity as evaluated by a costimulant assay was also reduced in a majority of the reactional BT individuals. In contrast, the bacilliferous BB and BL patients in reaction showed significant general improvement in leukocyte migration inhibition (p less than 0.001) and antigen-induced lymphoproliferation (p less than 0.05) as compared to the expected hyporesponsive/anergic uncomplicated BB-BL patients. Suppressor-cell activity also recovered during the reactional phase. However, no significant differences were observed in either of the reactional or stable leprosy types in the numbers of total T cells (OKT3+) and their subsets as defined by OKT4+ (helper/inducer) and OKT8+ (suppressor/cytotoxic) functional phenotypes. Moreover, during type 1 reactions the 48-hr delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses after intradermal injection of Mycobacterium leprae antigens continued to reflect the background leprosy type rather than the functional perturbations in the circulating T cells. Only a marginal increase in DTH was observed in some BT reactional individuals. No consistent pattern in the above in vitro T-cell-related responses was discernable in the same individuals 4-6 months after subsidence of reactions. The clinical entity of type 1 reactions encompassing paucibacillary and multibacillary leprosy shows a heterogeneity/dichotomy in T-cell responses which may reflect different immunological mechanisms underlying the reactional state.</p>  a0148-916X