01971nas a2200397   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653002200089653002400111653001000135653002200145653001100167653002100178653001200199653002500211653001600236653002400252653002500276653001700301653001500318100001600333700001600349700001300365700001400378700001500392700001600407700001400423245015600437300001000593490000800603520094800611022001401559       1991                            d  c1991 Nov10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aAged, 80 and over10aAntigens, Bacterial10aChild10aFollow-Up Studies10aHumans10aInterferon-gamma10aleprosy10aLongitudinal studies10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium bovis10aMycobacterium leprae10aRisk Factors10aSkin Tests1 aSampaio E P1 aMoreira A L1 aKaplan G1 aAlvim M F1 aDuppre N C1 aMiranda C F1 aSarno E N00aMycobacterium leprae-induced interferon-gamma production by household contacts of leprosy patients: association with the development of active disease.  a990-30 v1643 a<p>Identification of individuals at risk for developing leprosy and their early diagnosis are central to effective disease control. Lack of immunologic response to Mycobacterium leprae among persons exposed to the infectious agent may be predictive of susceptibility. M. leprae-induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was used as a measure of immune responsiveness. Household contacts of multibacillary patients likely to be at risk of developing active disease were identified, and a preliminary analysis after 2 years of follow-up is presented. A persistent in vitro negative response to M. leprae was present in 34.6% of the contacts, and a decrease in IFN-gamma production was noted in 52.5%. Five contacts (6.41%) developed leprosy during follow-up and, as predicted, belonged to the group of individuals who were negative or showed reduced levels of IFN-gamma in response to the antigen.</p>  a0022-1899