01259nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653001200051653002700063653001100090653001200101653001000113653002500123653001100148653001100159653002000170100001800190700001800208245008700226300001000313490000700323520066100330022001400991       1974                            d  c197410aAnimals10aDisease Models, Animal10aHumans10aleprosy10aLiver10aMycobacterium leprae10aSnakes10aSpleen10aTissue Extracts1 aKwapinski J B1 aKwapinski E H00aPathobiological relationships between Mycobacterium leprae and its primitive host.  a473-40 v503 a<p>Newborn snakes were injected with 10(2)-10(4) live or heated Mycobacterium leprae. Death occurred in 5-6 weeks. On autopsy, the snakes injected with live microorganisms showed pathological changes and numerous acid-fast bacteria were found in some organs. Material was also transferred from an experimentally infected snake to a group of normal newborn snakes, causing their death in 3 weeks. Extracts in phosphate-buffered saline, prepared from the tissues of infected snakes, were found to react with anti-M. leprae and anti-M. lepraemurium rabbit antisera. No immunodiffusion reactions were elicited by extracts from the organs of control snakes.</p>  a0042-9686