01916nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653001200059653002300071653002400094653002700118653002200145653001700167653001100184653002300195653001200218653000900230653002500239653002300264653002500287653003100312100001700343700001700360245006900377300001100446490000600457050002000463520109300483022001401576       1981                            d  c1981 May-Jun10aAnimals10aAntibody Formation10aAntigens, Bacterial10aDisease Models, Animal10aDiseases in Twins10aHLA Antigens10aHumans10aImmunity, Cellular10aleprosy10aMice10aMice, Inbred Strains10aModels, Biological10aMycobacterium leprae10aMycobacterium lepraemurium1 aSansonetti P1 aLagrange P H00aThe immunology of leprosy: speculations on the leprosy spectrum.  a422-690 v3  aSANSONETTI 19813 a<p>Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The disease presents a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from lepromatous to tuberculoid leprosy; each form may be punctuated by episodes of acute exacerbation, called reactional states. These polar forms and reactional states appear to be determined by immunologic interactions between the host and the microorganism. This review describes the different measurable parameters that permit the classification of a particular form according to clinical, bacteriologic, histologic, and immunologic spectra. Secondly, the current state of knowledge on essential immunologic features of leprosy is presented, with a description of the various alterations of cellular and humoral immune responses that can be tested by specific and nonspecific methods. The last part of the review is devoted to an analysis of the leprosy spectrum and to speculations about a number of possible factors that may influence the immune response of the host in a manner analogous to that observed in experimental models.</p>  a0162-0886