TY - JOUR KW - Adolescent KW - Adult KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Immunity, Cellular KW - Leishmaniasis KW - Leishmaniasis, Visceral KW - leprosy KW - Leprosy, Borderline KW - Leprosy, lepromatous KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha AU - Pisa P AU - Gennene M AU - Söder O AU - Ottenhoff T AU - Hansson M AU - Kiessling R AB -

It has been suggested that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) may serve as an important antigen-independent host defense mechanism against parasitic organisms. Sera from 66 patients with leishmaniasis and 68 patients with leprosy, all from Ethiopia, were tested for TNF alpha using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Sera from patients with the multi-parasitic/bacillary type of disease (visceral or diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis and lepromatous leprosy), known to be associated with absent or low specific T cell response, contained significantly higher TNF alpha titers than those of patients with pauci-parasitic/bacillary disease (localized cutaneous leishmaniasis and nonlepromatous leprosy). High titers of TNF alpha in the absence of a functioning T cell response do not appear to confer resistance against Leishmania aethiopica and Mycobacterium leprae.

BT - The Journal of infectious diseases C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2324549?dopt=Abstract CN - PISA1990 DA - 1990 May DO - 10.1093/infdis/161.5.988 IS - 5 J2 - J. Infect. Dis. LA - eng N2 -

It has been suggested that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) may serve as an important antigen-independent host defense mechanism against parasitic organisms. Sera from 66 patients with leishmaniasis and 68 patients with leprosy, all from Ethiopia, were tested for TNF alpha using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Sera from patients with the multi-parasitic/bacillary type of disease (visceral or diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis and lepromatous leprosy), known to be associated with absent or low specific T cell response, contained significantly higher TNF alpha titers than those of patients with pauci-parasitic/bacillary disease (localized cutaneous leishmaniasis and nonlepromatous leprosy). High titers of TNF alpha in the absence of a functioning T cell response do not appear to confer resistance against Leishmania aethiopica and Mycobacterium leprae.

PY - 1990 SP - 988 EP - 91 T2 - The Journal of infectious diseases TI - Serum tumor necrosis factor levels and disease dissemination in leprosy and leishmaniasis. VL - 161 SN - 0022-1899 ER -