Sera from 40 leprosy patients were screened for autoantibodies to cerebroside sulphate (sulphatide). Anti-sulphatide IgM in groups of patients with lepromatous (LL) and borderline (BL + BB + BT), but not with tuberculoid (TT) disease, were significantly elevated above the levels found in endemic control subjects. Eight-six percent (18 out of 21; mean 1.59 OD units) of LL, 33% (four out of 12; mean 1.08 OD units) of borderline and 13% (one out of eight; mean 0.69 OD units) of tuberculoid patients had anti-sulphatide IgM in their sera above a cut-off value of 2 s.d. above the mean value (0.66 OD units) for control sera. Elevated anti-sulphatide IgG was detected in only one patient's serum, an individual with LL disease. The level of anti-sulphatide IgM was strongly correlated to expression of the TH3 idiotype, an idiotype previously defined by a human MoAb that bound Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid, Klebsiella capsular polysaccharide, polynucleotides and human tissues. The purified, TH3 MoAb was found in this study to bind sulphatide, but not cholesterol-3-sulphate or cerebroside. It is suggested that anti-sulphatide IgM is elevated in leprosy, in relation to the bacterial load. Anti-sulphatide IgM fell at the onset of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reaction, consistent with the deposition of serum antibodies, and thus may play a part in pathology during periods of inflammation, particularly in multibacillary patients.
BT - Clinical and experimental immunology C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7923874?dopt=Abstract DA - 1994 Oct DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1994.tb06621.x IS - 1 J2 - Clin. Exp. Immunol. LA - eng N2 -Sera from 40 leprosy patients were screened for autoantibodies to cerebroside sulphate (sulphatide). Anti-sulphatide IgM in groups of patients with lepromatous (LL) and borderline (BL + BB + BT), but not with tuberculoid (TT) disease, were significantly elevated above the levels found in endemic control subjects. Eight-six percent (18 out of 21; mean 1.59 OD units) of LL, 33% (four out of 12; mean 1.08 OD units) of borderline and 13% (one out of eight; mean 0.69 OD units) of tuberculoid patients had anti-sulphatide IgM in their sera above a cut-off value of 2 s.d. above the mean value (0.66 OD units) for control sera. Elevated anti-sulphatide IgG was detected in only one patient's serum, an individual with LL disease. The level of anti-sulphatide IgM was strongly correlated to expression of the TH3 idiotype, an idiotype previously defined by a human MoAb that bound Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid, Klebsiella capsular polysaccharide, polynucleotides and human tissues. The purified, TH3 MoAb was found in this study to bind sulphatide, but not cholesterol-3-sulphate or cerebroside. It is suggested that anti-sulphatide IgM is elevated in leprosy, in relation to the bacterial load. Anti-sulphatide IgM fell at the onset of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reaction, consistent with the deposition of serum antibodies, and thus may play a part in pathology during periods of inflammation, particularly in multibacillary patients.
PY - 1994 SP - 145 EP - 50 T2 - Clinical and experimental immunology TI - Autoantibodies to cerebroside sulphate (sulphatide) in leprosy. VL - 98 SN - 0009-9104 ER -