01901nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653002400067653001500091653002700106653001100133653002000144653001600164653002600180653000900206653001800215653002500233653001200258100001700270700001300287700001300300700001200313700001500325700001300340700001400353245005900367856008800426300001100514490000700525520099300532022001401525       1975                            d  c1975 Dec10aAnimals10aAntigens, Bacterial10aArmadillos10aChemical Precipitation10aHumans10aImmunodiffusion10aLymph Nodes10aLymphocyte Activation10aMice10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium leprae10aRabbits1 aStanford J L1 aRook G A1 aConvit J1 aGodal T1 aKronvall G1 aRees R J1 aWalsh G P00aPreliminary taxonomic studies on the leprosy bacillus.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2072793/pdf/brjexppathol00402-0100.pdf  a579-850 v563 a<p>Antigens extracted from leprosy bacilli obtained from infected human and armadillo tissues have been examined by immunodiffusion analysis with serum samples from lepromatous patients and with immune sera raised in rabbits. Using the best combinations of serum and antigen extracts, 12 antigenic constituents were found in the leprosy bacilli. Six of these were antigens common to all mycobacteria and nocardiae, 4 were specific to the leprosy bacillus and the position of 2 could not be determined. Groups ii and iii antigens (i.e. those associated with the slow growing and fast growing subgenera of mycobacteria) were not found in theleprosy bacillus, suggesting some relationship with M. vaccae and similar strains, in which these antigens are also missing. Lymphocyte transformation tests performed on lymph node cells of mice infected or immunized with leprosy bacilli also showed the leprosy bacillus to have a closer relationship with M. vaccae than with other mycobacteria.</p>  a0007-1021