TY - JOUR KW - Adolescent KW - Adult KW - Aged KW - Antigens, Bacterial KW - Child KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Immunity, Cellular KW - In Vitro Techniques KW - Interferon-gamma KW - leprosy KW - Leprosy, Borderline KW - Leprosy, lepromatous KW - Leprosy, Tuberculoid KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Mycobacterium bovis KW - Mycobacterium leprae AU - Sarno E N AU - Espinosa M AU - Sampaio E P AU - Vieira L M AU - Figueiredo A A AU - Miranda C F AU - Esquenazi D AU - Salgado J L AU - Nogueira N AB -

1. The cellular immune response to M. leprae and BCG antigens was evaluated in 98 leprosy patients and 143 household contacts lacking clinical manifestation of the disease. 2. The proliferative responses and release of Interferon-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assessed and both patients and contacts were classified as low or high responders to M. leprae. 3. The high responder contacts constituted 54.8% of the population analyzed, a three times higher proportion when compared to the controls, indicating the possible existence of active infection among them. 4. The correlation coefficient between the immunological response to M. leprae and BCG was found to be higher within the contact group than in the patients, suggesting that cross-reactivity defense mechanisms against mycobacteria exist even before the onset of clinically detectable disease.

BT - Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3147795?dopt=Abstract DA - 1988 IS - 3 J2 - Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. LA - eng N2 -

1. The cellular immune response to M. leprae and BCG antigens was evaluated in 98 leprosy patients and 143 household contacts lacking clinical manifestation of the disease. 2. The proliferative responses and release of Interferon-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assessed and both patients and contacts were classified as low or high responders to M. leprae. 3. The high responder contacts constituted 54.8% of the population analyzed, a three times higher proportion when compared to the controls, indicating the possible existence of active infection among them. 4. The correlation coefficient between the immunological response to M. leprae and BCG was found to be higher within the contact group than in the patients, suggesting that cross-reactivity defense mechanisms against mycobacteria exist even before the onset of clinically detectable disease.

PY - 1988 SP - 461 EP - 70 T2 - Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas TI - Immunological responsiveness to M. leprae and BCG antigens in 98 leprosy patients and their household contacts. VL - 21 SN - 0100-879X ER -