02278nas a2200301   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002600055653002400081653001600105653001100121653002100132653001300153653001200166653002500178653001800203100001800221700001700239700002100256700001100277700002200288245010200310856004100412300000900453490000700462520149300469022001401962       1996                            d  c1996 Mar10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aAntigens, Bacterial10aGlycolipids10aHumans10aImmunoglobulin M10aLepromin10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aT-Lymphocytes1 aIlangumaran S1 aRamanathan S1 aShankernarayan N1 aRamu G1 aMuthukkarauppan V00aImmunological profiles of leprosy patients and healthy family contacts toward M. leprae antigens.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v64n1a02.pdf  a6-140 v643 a<p>In this study, we measured simultaneously the in vitro and in vivo T lymphocyte reactivities and the antibody responses of leprosy patients and healthy family contacts (HFC) toward Mycobacterium leprae antigens. The in vitro lymphoproliferative response of the HFC to leprosin A was comparable to that of tuberculoid leprosy patients. However, their skin-test reactivity to Dharmendra lepromin was considerably higher compared to the in vitro response to leprosin A. A significant number of HFC failed to respond to M. leprae antigens, both in vitro and in vivo, and the unresponsiveness to either test was not related to the type of leprosy patients in the household. A marginal correlation was observed between the skin-test reactivity of HFC and the age of the individuals. Even though a significant proportion of HFC showed positive anti-PGL-I IgM levels, none showed a positive titer in the serum antibody competition test toward the M. leprae-specific epitope My2. A positive anti-PGL-I IgM response together with a negative lepromin skin-test reactivity showed a clear downward trend from the lepromatous pole toward the tuberculoid pole. A small number of HFC, all contacts of lepromatous patients, were lepromin skin-test negative with positive anti-PGL-I IgM levels, but the majority among them showed T-cell reactivity to mycobacterial antigens in vitro. These results are discussed in relation to immunological correlates of the susceptibility to M. leprae infection.</p>
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