01711nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653002000079653003000099653004400129653001100173653002200184653001200206653002600218653003500244653001600279653002500295653002400320653001500344100001100359700001500370700001300385245015400398300001200552490000700564520081200571022001401383       1980                            d  c1980 Sep10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCells, Cultured10aCytotoxicity, Immunologic10aDose-Response Relationship, Immunologic10aHumans10aImmunosuppression10aleprosy10aLymphocyte Activation10aLymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed10aLymphocytes10aMycobacterium leprae10aPhytohemagglutinins10aTuberculin1 aTouw J1 aStoner G L1 aBelehu A00aEffect of Mycobacterium leprae on lymphocyte proliferation: suppression of mitogen and antigen responses of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.  a397-4050 v413 a<p>Evidence is presented that Mycobacterium leprae suppresses the in vitro proliferative response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) to antigen and mitogen. Lymphoproliferation induced by PPD or alloantigen stimulation was inhibited by concentrations of M. leprae which were not cytotoxic for lymphoblasts. In contrast, the inhibition of mitogen-stimulated PBM was seen only at higher concentrations of M. leprae which proved to be cytotoxic for lymphoblasts. The inhibitory effect was found not to be dependent on a particular cell population present in leprosy patients, as PBM from normal were inhibited similarly. These findings may explain some of the immunological aberrations observed in lepromatous leprosy patients who harbour large numbers of M. leprae bacilli in their tissues.</p>  a0009-9104