01966nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653003100055653002400086653001300110653001100123653002000134653001200154653001800166653002500184100001500209700001000224700001600234700002100250700002200271700001300293700001800306700001700324245010900341300001100450490000700461520117000468022001401638       1981                            d  c1981 Sep10aAntigen-Antibody Reactions10aAntigens, Bacterial10aEpitopes10aHumans10aImmunodiffusion10aleprosy10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium leprae1 aGillis T P1 aAbe M1 aBullock W E1 aRojas-Espinosa O1 aGarcia-Ortigoza E1 aDraper P1 aKirchheimer W1 aBuchanan T M00aComparison of 22 species of Mycobacteria by immunodiffusion against an absorbed reference leprosy serum.  a287-930 v493 a<p>Lithium acetate antigenic extracts of 22 species of acetone-treated mycobacteria were tested by immunodiffusion precipitation for reactivity with a pool of sera from treated lepromatous leprosy patients (ARLS). This ARLS had been adsorbed with M. bovis (BCG, M. vaccae, cardiolipin, and lecithin to make it specific for M. leprae when used in an indirect immunofluorescence test. The ARLS produced two precipitin lines with M. leprae extract, one of which formed a line of identity with extracts of M. lepraemurium and M. bovis (BCG). Aso, recognition without reactions of identity was produced between ARLS and M. flavecens, M. gastri, M. gordonae, and M. nonchromogenicum. The ARLS did not recognize the 15 other species including the human pathogens, M. tuberculosis, M. intracellulare, M. kansasii, M. scrofulaceum, and M. marinum. These data suggest that serologic tests for M. leprae infection might be affected by antibodies to antigens shared by M. leprae and other mycobacteria. The significance of these shared antigens will depend upon the prevalence of human immune responses to mycobacteria containing the shared antigens in any given community.</p>  a0148-916X