TY - JOUR KW - Culture Media KW - Humans KW - Immune Tolerance KW - Interleukin-2 KW - leprosy KW - Lymphocyte Activation KW - T-Lymphocytes AU - Haregewoin A AU - Godal T AU - Mustafa A S AU - Belehu A AU - Yemaneberhan T AB -

In some subjects the infective agent of leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, causes disseminated (lepromatous) disease. Such subjects have a major role in the transmission of the disease and show deficient T-cell responses both in vivo and in vitro to M. leprae, but not to other antigens. Numerous studies have recently shown that T cells with functional capabilities after initial triggering with antigen can be maintained in a state of continuous proliferation in vitro when cultured in medium containing interleukin 2 (IL-2). Here we have studied the effect of IL-2 rich T-cell conditioned medium on lepromatous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Our results show that although lepromatous T cells fail to produce IL-2 after exposure to M. leprae they can respond by proliferation to M. leprae in the presence of T-cell conditioned medium, suggesting that the unresponsiveness in lepromatous leprosy results from a deficiency in the production of IL-2 or related factors and not a lack of M. leprae-reactive T cells.

BT - Nature C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6602296?dopt=Abstract DA - 1983 May 26 DO - 10.1038/303342a0 IS - 5915 J2 - Nature LA - eng N2 -

In some subjects the infective agent of leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, causes disseminated (lepromatous) disease. Such subjects have a major role in the transmission of the disease and show deficient T-cell responses both in vivo and in vitro to M. leprae, but not to other antigens. Numerous studies have recently shown that T cells with functional capabilities after initial triggering with antigen can be maintained in a state of continuous proliferation in vitro when cultured in medium containing interleukin 2 (IL-2). Here we have studied the effect of IL-2 rich T-cell conditioned medium on lepromatous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Our results show that although lepromatous T cells fail to produce IL-2 after exposure to M. leprae they can respond by proliferation to M. leprae in the presence of T-cell conditioned medium, suggesting that the unresponsiveness in lepromatous leprosy results from a deficiency in the production of IL-2 or related factors and not a lack of M. leprae-reactive T cells.

PY - 1983 SP - 342 EP - 4 T2 - Nature TI - T-cell conditioned media reverse T-cell unresponsiveness in lepromatous leprosy. VL - 303 SN - 0028-0836 ER -