02278nas a2200373   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653002400080653001600104653001000120653002000130653001100150653001100161653001100172653001200183653002600195653000900221653001600230653001800246653002400264653002400288653002500312653002400337100001300361700001200374700001500386245013700401300001100538490000700549520133400556022001401890       1979                            d  c1979 Jun10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAntigens, Bacterial10aBCG Vaccine10aChild10aCross Reactions10aFamily10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aLymphocyte Activation10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium avium10aMycobacterium bovis10aMycobacterium leprae10aPhytohemagglutinins1 aMenzel S1 aBjune G1 aKronvall G00aLymphocyte transformation test in healthy contacts of patients with leprosy. I. Influence of exposure to leprosy within a household.  a138-520 v473 a<p>Fifty-three household contacts of lepromatous patients, 37 household contacts of tuberculoid patients, and 91 control persons were examined with the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) for their responses to whole and sonicated antigen preparations from M. leprae, to BCG, M. avium, M. gordonae, and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The study was carried out in the Gurage area of Ethiopia in 15 households with a leprosy patient and 15 matched control households. Household contacts of lepromatous patients showed significantly greater LTT responses to antigens from M. leprae than the controls, whereas household contacts of tuberculoid patients did not respond differently from controls. Household contacts of lepromatous patients had significantly greater responses to M. leprae antigens when the index patients were "active," i.e., highly bacilliferous, than when they were "inactive," i.e., having a low bacillary load. The degree of sensitization, as indicated by the LTT response, in different exposure groups paralleled the degree of probable infectivity of the index patient. A preparation of antigen from whole M. leprae proved to be more sensitive and more specific in the LTT than did a sonicated preparation. A significant degree of cross-reactivity was found among the various mycobacteria in their LTT responses.</p>  a0148-916X