Immunological methods employed in an attempt to induce erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) in mice.

In the mouse foot pad model five different parameters were employed to simulate the condition of ENL as observed in the human. The experimental groups with five to six months leprosy infection were injected intravenously with various anti-mycobacterial antibodies, M. leprae sonicate and 'B' cells obtained from syngenic donors. The control group of animals, infected similarly, were treated either with M. leprae sonicate or gamma globulins precipitated from normal human serum. All recipients were killed at one day interval excepting those with 'B' cell transfer, which were sacrificed at seven days. The sites of predilection for immune complex deposition viz. foot pad and kidney as well as the spleen were examined by light and fluorescence microscopy. These findings are described and discussed.