01696nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653001400079653002000093653001100113653002300124653001200147653002600159653002500185100001500210700001100225700001600236700001600252245011900268856004100387300001100428490000700439520095800446022001401404       1999                            d  c1999 Jun10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCollodion10aCross Reactions10aHumans10aImmunity, Cellular10aleprosy10aLymphocyte Activation10aMycobacterium leprae1 aSachdeva G1 aKaur G1 aBhutani L K1 aBamezai R N00aLymphoproliferative responses of leprosy patients and healthy controls to nitrocellulose-bound M. leprae antigens.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v67n2a03.pdf  a133-420 v673 a<p>The lymphoproliferative responses of 51 leprosy patients and 11 healthy contacts were analyzed using the nitrocellulose-bound specific antigen fractions from the cell-free extract of Mycobacterium leprae. The main proliferation-inducing fraction for peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the healthy contacts was found to be the Fraction II, bearing antigens in the range of 66-45 kDa. However, this fraction failed to induce lymphoproliferation in the leprosy patients, unlike healthy contacts (p < 0.032). The number of responders as well as the strength of the responses to 66-45 kDa proteins were found to be low in the leprosy patients compared to the healthy contacts. Further, preliminary analysis with the subfractions of Fraction II produced a similar pattern, suggesting that the immune response to the antigens in the range of 66-45 kDa M. leprae proteins remains suppressed in subjects with clinical signs and symptoms of the disease.</p>  a0148-916X