02004nas a2200301   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653001800079653001300097653002700110653001100137653001200148653002500160653003000185653002600215100001600241700001600257700001500273700002000288700001900308700001900327245008800346300001000434490000700444520123700451022001401688       1988                            d  c1988 Jun10aAntigens, Bacterial10aDisaccharides10aEpitopes10aHemagglutination Tests10aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aPredictive Value of Tests10aSerum Albumin, Bovine1 aPetchclai B1 aKhupulsup K1 aHiranras S1 aSampatavanich S1 aSampoonachot P1 aLeelarusamee A00aA passive hemagglutination test for leprosy using a synthetic disaccharide antigen.  a255-80 v563 a<p>There is a need for a simple, sensitive, and specific test for the serodiagnosis of leprosy. A passive hemagglutination (PHA) test for leprosy was developed to meet these requirements. A synthetic disaccharide, conjugated to bovine serum albumin and specific for the phenolic glycolipid of Mycobacterium leprae, was sensitized to aldehyde preserved and tanned sheep erythrocytes (SRBC). The sensitized SRBC were used for testing sera from leprosy and tuberculosis cases and normal controls at 1: 64 and 1:128 serum dilutions. It was found that if the hemagglutination reaction at greater than or equal to 1: 128 is considered positive, the test was positive in 84.2% of 38 cases of multibacillary leprosy, 16.7% of 24 cases of paucibacillary leprosy, 16.7% of 6 contacts of multibacillary leprosy, 11.8% of 51 cases of tuberculosis, and 3.7% of 54 blood donors. If the cutoff value used was 1:64, the test was more sensitive but less specific. The results are similar to that of an ELISA for IgM antibody to the same synthetic antigen. The present PHA test is simple and sensitive, but moderately specific. Its simplicity and sensitivity make it highly suitable for large-scale screening of contacts in leprosy-endemic areas.</p>  a0148-916X