02175nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653001900067653001100086653002100097653002900118653002100147653001200168653001200180653002800192100001200220700001500232700001100247700001600258700001400274700001500288700001500303245007800318856009000396300001000486490000700496520133200503022001401835       1991                            d  c1991 Jun10aAnimals10aAutoantibodies10aHumans10aImmunoglobulin G10aImmunoglobulin Idiotypes10aImmunoglobulin M10aleprosy10aRabbits10aTuberculosis, Pulmonary1 aZumla A1 aWilliams W1 aMudd D1 aLocniskar M1 aBehrens R1 aIsenberg D1 aMcAdam K P00aExpression of a common idiotype PR4 in the sera of patients with leprosy.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1535425/pdf/clinexpimmunol00063-0152.pdf  a522-60 v843 a<p>The sera of 187 patients from across the leprosy spectrum were screened for the expression of the PR4 idiotype, which was first identified on a human hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibody from a patient with leprosy and found to react with the Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid and a variety of polynucleotides. Sixty per cent (51 out of 85) of patients with lepromatous leprosy (LL), 66% (33 out of 49) with borderline lepromatous (BL) disease, 47% (14 out of 30) with borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy, and 56% (13 out of 23) of tuberculoid (TT) patients were found to have significantly elevated titres of the PR4 idiotype in their sera compared with endemic controls, irrespective of the presence or absence of endemic malaria. Sera from 52 patients with tuberculosis were also screened as a control for mycobacterial infection. The PR4 idiotype was significantly elevated in 37% (19 out of 52) of these patients. No correlation between idiotype and serum immunoglobulins IgG and IgM was found, indicating that the concentrations of idiotype levels in sera were not merely a reflection of changes in serum immunoglobulin levels. It is hypothesized that the expression of the PR4 idiotype is due to certain germline genes preferentially expressed rather than being the result of polyclonal B cell activation.</p>  a0009-9104