01989nas a2200445   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653001500051653001000066653000900076653002400085653001000109653001100119653001100130653002300141653002400164653002100188653001200209653002400221653002500245653002500270653000900295653001600304653002400320653002500344100001400369700001500383700001600398700001500414700001900429700001600448700001600464700001600480700001500496245011600511300001100627490000700638520088400645022001401529       1988                            d  c198810aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aAntigens, Bacterial10aChild10aFemale10aHumans10aImmunity, Cellular10aIn Vitro Techniques10aInterferon-gamma10aleprosy10aLeprosy, Borderline10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aLeprosy, Tuberculoid10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium bovis10aMycobacterium leprae1 aSarno E N1 aEspinosa M1 aSampaio E P1 aVieira L M1 aFigueiredo A A1 aMiranda C F1 aEsquenazi D1 aSalgado J L1 aNogueira N00aImmunological responsiveness to M. leprae and BCG antigens in 98 leprosy patients and their household contacts.  a461-700 v213 a<p>1. The cellular immune response to M. leprae and BCG antigens was evaluated in 98 leprosy patients and 143 household contacts lacking clinical manifestation of the disease. 2. The proliferative responses and release of Interferon-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assessed and both patients and contacts were classified as low or high responders to M. leprae. 3. The high responder contacts constituted 54.8% of the population analyzed, a three times higher proportion when compared to the controls, indicating the possible existence of active infection among them. 4. The correlation coefficient between the immunological response to M. leprae and BCG was found to be higher within the contact group than in the patients, suggesting that cross-reactivity defense mechanisms against mycobacteria exist even before the onset of clinically detectable disease.</p>  a0100-879X