02064nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002000055653002600075653001900101653001900120653002300139653001100162653002000173653001100193653002100204653002100225653002000246653001200266653000900278653002500287653002700312653002200339653001800361100001800379700001300397700001700410245010400427300001100531490000700542520113900549022001401688       1987                            d  c1987 Jun10aAlpha-Globulins10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aAutoantibodies10aBlood Proteins10aC-Reactive Protein10aFemale10aGamma-Globulins10aHumans10aImmunoglobulin A10aImmunoglobulin G10aImmunoglobulins10aleprosy10aMale10aMycobacterium leprae10aOceanic Ancestry Group10aRheumatoid Factor10aThyroglobulin1 aRawlinson W D1 aBasten A1 aHargrave J C00aClinical significance of changes in serum proteins, immunoglobulins, and autoantibodies in leprosy.  a277-850 v553 a<p>Changes in the level of acute phase reactants such as C-reactive protein (CRP), serum globulins, and autoantibodies have been reported previously in patients with leprosy, particularly at the lepromatous end of the spectrum. The clinical significance of these findings was investigated by comparing the same parameters of humoral immune function in populations of Australian Aboriginals with stable treated leprosy and relevant contact groups including a) noninfected European sporadic contacts and b) healthy Aboriginal relatives of patients with confirmed leprosy. Raised levels of CRP and immunoglobulins and the higher frequency of autoantibodies seen in leprosy patients compared with sporadic contacts are probably related to differences in the incidence of nonleprous infection rather than to leprosy per se. Comparable results were obtained in the leprosy patients and their family contacts. The data highlight the need to use antigen-specific assays for determining the significance of changes in acute phase reactants and for distinguishing between the primary and secondary effects of Mycobacterium leprae infection.</p>  a0148-916X