02108nas a2200289   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653002900065653001800094653001800112653003000130653002100160653001100181653001200192100001500204700001800219700001500237700001500252700001600267245007800283856009000361300001100451490000700462520133500469022001401804       1976                            d  c1976 Dec10aAdult10aAntigen-Antibody Complex10aComplement C110aComplement C310aComplement Fixation Tests10aErythema Nodosum10aHumans10aleprosy1 aBjorvatn B1 aBarnetson R S1 aKronvall G1 aZubler R H1 aLambert P H00aImmune complexes and complement hypercatabolism in patients with leprosy.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1540968/pdf/clinexpimmunol00244-0016.pdf  a388-960 v263 a<p>The occurrence of immune complexes in the serum and the level of the C3 breakdown product C3d in the plasma from patients with leprosy were studied by quantitative methods and the results were compared in various forms of the disease. These studies were performed on sixty-two samples from twenty-six patients. The serum 125I-C1q binding activity was found to be increased by more than 2 s.d., as compared to the normal values, in most of the sera from patients with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) (80%) and uncomplicated lepromatous leprosy (82%), but also in the sera from patients with tuberculoid leprosy (58%). In vitro studies suggested that immune complexes involving mycobacterial antigens were present in leprosy sera. An increased C3d level (greater than 2s.d.) was also found in most of the plasma from patients with ENL (70%), but rarely in the plasma from patients with uncomplicated lepromatous leprosy (18%) and never in tuberculoid leprosy patients' plasma. The absence of a significant correlation between the 125I-C1q binding activity and the C3d level in leprosy patients may suggest that extravascular immune complexes are involved in the complement activation occurring in ENL. The quantitation of C3d in plasma may be of some practical interest in the early diagnosis of ENL complications of leprosy.</p>  a0009-9104