Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| the rrna operons of mycobacterium smegmatis and mycobacterium tuberculosis: comparison of promoter elements and of neighbouring upstream genes. | mycobacterium smegmatis has two rrna (rrn) operons designated rrnaf and rrnbf. appropriate restriction fragments of genomic dna containing sequences immediately upstream from the 16s rrna genes were cloned. we now report the nucleotide sequence of 552 bp upstream from the 5'-end of the box al antitermination element of the leader region of the rrnaf operon. the 5'-end of this segment of dna was found to comprise 113 codons of an orf encoding a protein which is significantly similar to udp-n-acet ... | 1996 | 8868442 |
| drug effects on intracellular mycobacteria determined by mass spectrometric analysis of the na(+)-to-k+ ratios of individual bacterial organisms. | the successful establishment of a drug screening system for intracellular cultivable and noncultivable mycobacteria based on the mass spectrometric determination of bacterial viability is described. to compare drug efficacies on intra- and extracellular mycobacteria, the mycobacteria were subjected to drug treatment either after phagocytosis by the mouse macrophage cell line raw 264.7 or in cell-free medium. after reisolation, their viability was monitored by analyzing the intrabacterial sodium- ... | 1996 | 8878579 |
| bactericidal activity of single dose of clarithromycin plus minocycline, with or without ofloxacin, against mycobacterium leprae in patients. | fifty patients with newly diagnosed lepromatous leprosy were allocated randomly to one of five groups and treated with either a month-long standard regimen of multidrug therapy (mdt) for multibacillary leprosy, a single dose of 600 mg of rifampin, a month-long regimen with the dapsone (dds) and clofazimine (clo) components of the standard mdt, or a single dose of 2,000 mg of clarithromycin (clari) plus 200 mg of minocycline (mino), with or without the addition of 800 mg of ofloxacin (oflo). at t ... | 1996 | 8878595 |
| isolation and sequence of a mycobacterium tuberculosis sigma factor. | a dna segment from mycobacterium tuberculosis containing a gene for a putative sigma factor was isolated and sequenced. the protein encoded by this gene is 92% similar to the mycobacterium smegmatis sigma factor mysb, and has been designated mtu sigb. a mycobacterium leprae homologue of mysb and mtu sigb was identified in the database. | 1996 | 8890748 |
| immunoglobulin g response against 10-kda and 65-kda heat-shock proteins in leprosy patients and their household contacts. | we measured antibody responses to recombinant mycobacterium leprae 65-kda (rml65) and 10-kda (rml10) by indirect elisa in sera from leprosy patients, household contacts and healthy controls in a leprosy-endemic area in the north east of argentina. serum antibody levels to those antigens were correlated with igm anti-phenolic glycolipid i (pgl-i) levels, with bacterial index and the period of time under chemotherapy. bacterial index positive (bi+) patients showed higher mean values when compared ... | 1996 | 8908480 |
| properties of lysophospholipase in mycobacterium leprae. | lysophospholipids are key intermediates in the metabolism of phospholipids. cytoplasmic membranes of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes are made of phospholipid bilayers. phospholipases are activated during phagocytosis. lysophospholipids generated by phospholipase a2 or a1 degrade cell membranes and can cause cell lysis. an active lysophospholipase, that hydrolyzes lysophospholipids, was detected by the radioisotope technique in mycobacterium leprae. about two-thirds of the enzyme was particulate ... | 1996 | 8914265 |
| active leprosy treated effectively with ofloxacin. | the patient is a 25-year-old filipino who showed polymorphous eruptions over the whole body, right ulnar nerve paresis, polyneuropathy and hypalgesia in the area of eruptions. because the biopsy specimen showed foam cells, histiocytes, epithelioid cells, many mycobacterium leprae and no giant cells, the diagnosis of borderline-lepromatous (bl) type was made. the symptoms were improved by the administration of 300 mg/day ofloxacin. because the monotherapy using ofloxacin has been reported to be e ... | 1996 | 8915706 |
| models of the within-host dynamics of persistent mycobacterial infections. | we use mathematical models to investigate the within-host dynamics of mycobacterial infections. in particular, we investigate the mechanisms by which bacteria such as mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae persist at low densities for extended periods, and attain high densities much later. we suggest that the persistence of bacteria in face of immune pressure may result from the bacteria having a very slow growth rate, or having a dormant stage. we show that whereas these mechanisms ... | 1996 | 8920248 |
| induction of heat shock protein 60 expression in human monocytic cell lines infected with mycobacterium leprae. | monocytic cell lines (hl-60 and thp-1) were infected with viable mycobacterium leprae. levels of human hsp60 were estimated by western blot (immunoblot) assay and a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. the results showed that infection of both of the cell lines induced the synthesis of human hsp60, which may be of significance in relation to autoimmune manifestations associated with mycobacterial infections. | 1996 | 8926111 |
| induction of th1 cytokine responses by mycobacterial antigens in leprosy. | twelve mycobacterial antigens were compared for induction of gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) secretion by human blood mononuclear cells of patients with leprosy. fractionated mycobacterium leprae antigens containing cell wall proteins or cytosolic and membrane proteins induced good ifn-gamma responses in tuberculoid leprosy patients. lipoarabinomannan from m. tuberculosis erdman and m. leprae mycolylarabinogalactan peptidoglycan were the poorest ifn-gamma inducers. | 1996 | 8926118 |
| in vitro susceptibility of mycobacterium leprae to oxygen-mediated damage. | in order to evaluate factors responsible for the failure of mycobacterium leprae to multiply in cell-free cultures in vitro studies were undertaken to determine the possible poisoning of the organism by hydroxide and superoxide radicals produced in the growth medium. the superoxide dismutase activity was very low, 10% of the levels found in armadillo cells, while measured activity of catalase and glutathione peroxidase was negligible. susceptibility of m. leprae to hydrogen peroxide was enhanced ... | 1996 | 8935737 |
| indeterminate leprosy: a seroimmunological and histochemical evaluation. | an effort was made to differentiate indeterminate (ind) leprosy from other types of the paucibacillary (pb) group of leprosy and to identify among indeterminate leprosy cases those which may evolve to multibacillary (mb) leprosy, using serological, immunological and histochemical parameters. a total of 92 untreated, histologically classified (tt-19, bt-30, ind-32) patients, including 11 cases diagnosed as nonspecific dermatitis (nsd), which were clinically strongly suspected to be leprotic, were ... | 1994 | 8942147 |
| effective vaccination of mice against mycobacterium leprae with density-gradient subfractions of soluble m. leprae proteins: clues to effective protein epitopes. | it had previously been discovered that intradermal mouse vaccination with a protein fraction of mycobacterium leprae (called soluble proteins) in freund's incomplete adjuvant (fia) resulted in consistent and long-lived protection against m. leprae multiplication from subsequent viable footpad challenges. in this study certain density-gradient subfractions of this soluble protein, but not others, in fia afforded vaccine protection. the results of this study suggest which m. leprae proteins may be ... | 1994 | 8942148 |
| ofloxacin-containing combined drug regimens in the treatment of lepromatous leprosy. | a total of 26 clinically diagnosed adult patients, with active untreated lepromatous leprosy, with a bacteriological index of 4+ or more, were admitted to the hospital of the central leprosy teaching and research institute, chengalpattu, india, between 1989 and 1991. after prescribed investigations, the patients were randomly allocated in groups of 3 to 3 treatment regimens, namely: 1, clofazimine 50 mg daily and 300 mg once in 4 weeks + dapsone 100 mg daily (aa); 2, (aa)+ofloxacin 400 mg daily ... | 1994 | 8942149 |
| a 35-kilodalton protein is a major target of the human immune response to mycobacterium leprae. | the control of leprosy will be facilitated by the identification of major mycobacterium leprae-specific antigens which mirror the immune response to the organism across the leprosy spectrum. we have investigated the host response to a 35-kda protein of m. leprae. recombinant 35-kda protein purified from mycobacterium smegmatis resembled the native antigen in the formation of multimeric complexes and binding by monoclonal antibodies and sera from leprosy patients. these properties were not shared ... | 1996 | 8945562 |
| molecular definition and identification of new proteins of mycobacterium leprae. | this report describes n-terminal group analysis of six new proteins isolated from in vivo-grown mycobacterium leprae, three of which correspond to products of the cysa, ahpc, and rpil genes, which were recently defined through the m. leprae genome project and which encode a putative sulfate sulfurtransferase, an antioxidant enzyme, and the l7/l12 ribosomal protein, respectively. | 1996 | 8945601 |
| the immune response to mycobacterial 70-kda heat shock proteins frequently involves autoreactive t cells and is quantitatively disregulated in multiple sclerosis. | heat shock proteins (hsp) are the most conserved molecules known to date that may also function as immune targets during infection. hence, theoretically there is a high chance of cross-reactive responses to epitopes shared by host and microbe hsp. if not properly regulated, these responses may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. to determine if immune responses to hsp could contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, we raised t lymphocyte lines specific for the purif ... | 1996 | 8964896 |
| [the genetic susceptibility to leprosy in humans]. | the capacity of certain individuals to resist certain diseases, including leprosy, has for a long time been considered as being influenced by genetic factors. the clinical and pathological spectrum of leprosy, epidemiological heterogeneity, both geographic and ethnic, in the prevalence of polar forms, may be explained by genetic differences in host resistance. while the specific genes in question have not been identified, recent studies suggest a genetic basis for differences in the capacity of ... | 1996 | 8967289 |
| gene arrangement and organization in a approximately 76 kb fragment encompassing the oric region of the chromosome of mycobacterium leprae. | a continuous 75627 bp segment of the mycobacterium leprae chromosome spanning the oric region was sequenced. the gene order at this locus was similar to that found in the replication origin region of many other prokaryotes, particularly mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomyces coelicolor. as in the case of several gram-positive bacteria, essential genes involved in basic cellular functions, such as dna or rna metabolism (dnaa, dnab, dnan, gyrb, gyra, pcnb, recf, rnpa, ssb), cell wall synthesi ... | 1996 | 8969512 |
| isolation and characterization of a 70 kda protein from mycobacterium avium. | mycobacterium avium complex (mac) is an intracellular pathogen which causes disseminated bacterial infection in immunocompromised individuals. this organism predominantly infects macrophages. attachment of mac to macrophages is the first step prior to invasion. we have previously shown that a 70 kda protein of m. avium (ma) is one of nine monocyte-binding proteins. in the present study, we have purified this protein from sonic extracts of ma and studied some of its properties. the n-terminal seq ... | 1996 | 8971687 |
| the cellular and molecular basis of immunity against mycobacterial diseases. | 1996 | 8972118 | |
| erythema nodosum leprosum is associated with up-regulation of polyclonal igg1 antibody synthesis. | erythema nodosum leprosum (enl) is a serious complication of lepromatous (l) disease in leprosy. we have previously shown that of the four igg subclasses, igg1 and igg3 mycobacterium leprae-specific antibodies are significantly lower in leprosy patients during enl reaction compared with untreated l patients. to see if this decrease results from a down-regulation of antibody synthesis during enl, the frequency of antibody-secreting b cells (absc) in the blood compartment was determined by elispot ... | 1996 | 8973611 |
| electron microscopic characteristics of actinomycetic agents having aetiological association with human leprosy and epizootic ulcerative syndrome of fish. | the transmission electron microscopic (tem) studies of the human leprosy derived chemoautotrophic nocardio-form (can) bacteria and eus derived can bacteria showed presence of double contoured cell-walls consisting of an electron transparent and a dense layer. the fibrillar structures on the surface of these can bacterial cells also suggested their similarity to the human tissue derived mycobacterium leprae cells. these em studies further revealed mycelial and coccoid bodies in all these bacteria ... | 1996 | 8979491 |
| cloning and expression of transaldolase from potato. | we have isolated a cdna encoding transaldolase, an enzyme of the pentose-phosphate pathway, from potato (solanum tuberosum). the 1.5 kb cdna encodes a protein of 438 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 47.8 kda. when the potato cdna was expressed in escherichia coli a 45 kda protein with transaldolase activity was produced. the first 62 amino acids of the deduced amino acid sequence represent an apparent plastid transit sequence. while the potato transaldolase has considerable similarit ... | 1996 | 8980493 |
| il-15, an immunomodulator of t cell responses in intracellular infection. | il-15 is a novel cytokine with potent t cell growth factor activity. here, we investigated the role of il-15 in the human immune response to intracellular infection by studying patients leprosy. we found that il-15 mrna and protein were more strongly expressed in immunologically resistant tuberculoid patients than in with unresponsive and susceptible lepromatous patients. in vitro, mycobacterium leprae induced il-15 secretion from peripheral blood monocytes. furthermore, ril-15 by itself and in ... | 1997 | 8992997 |
| multidrug-resistance to dapsone, rifampicin, and ofloxacin in mycobacterium leprae. | 1997 | 8996430 | |
| relapse of leprosy after multidrug therapy. | relapse of leprosy after multidrug therapy among leprosy patients treated at mahasarakarm, kalasin and roi-et from 1984 to 1994 were analyzed. twenty pb relapses (45.45%) and twenty four mb relapses (54.55%) were found among 5,298 originally classified pb patients and 5 mb relapses occurred in 2,624 originally classified mb patients. mean relapse interval was between 3-4 years. the relapse rate within 10 years after stopping mdt was 0.83 per cent in pb and 0.19 per cent in mb. the estimated rela ... | 1996 | 8996998 |
| presence of f420-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in mycobacterium and nocardia species, but absence from streptomyces and corynebacterium species and methanogenic archaea. | a range of organisms known to contain f420 or to be relatives of mycobacteria were examined for f420-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (fgd) and nadp-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (nadp-g6pd) activities. all free-growing mycobacterium species examined (including a virulent mycobacterium tuberculosis strain) had fgd activities of 0.014-0.418 mumol min-1 mg protein-1, and nadp-g6pd activities of 0.013-0.636 mumol min-1 mg-1. armadillo-grown mycobacterium leprae had fgd acti ... | 1997 | 8997717 |
| hla-dr polymorphism modulates the cytokine profile of mycobacterium leprae hsp-reactive cd4+ t cells. | in the present study, in vitro attempts have been made to define the cytokine profile of cd4+ t cells from polar leprosy patients and healthy individuals against mycobacterium leprae-derived heat shock proteins (hsps), hsp65 and hsp18, and their trypsin-digested fragments, relating to hla-dr polymorphism. while all tryptic fragments of optimal digestion and undigested hsps could stimulate cd4+ t cells from tuberculoid (tt) leprosy patients and healthy contacts (stimulation index, si > 2.0), only ... | 1997 | 9000043 |
| reactivity of a population of armadillo lymphocytes with an antibody to human gamma,delta t-cells. | reactivity of lymphocytes from the nine-banded armadillo (dasypus novemcinctus) was examined by flow cytometry using a panel of 16 commercially available fluorochrome-conjugated monoclonal antibodies raised against human or murine leukocyte antigens. the only reactivity observed was with antibody tcrdelta1, directed against a common determinant on the delta chain of the human gamma,delta t-cell receptor. using this antibody, a distinct, bright population of lymphocytes was seen in the peripheral ... | 1997 | 9000044 |
| sensitization and reactogenicity of two doses of candidate antileprosy vaccine mycobacterium w. | m.w vaccine is one of the antileprosy vaccines under test in an ongoing comparative vaccine trial in south india. the objective of the present study was to examine the sensitizing ability, as measured by skin test reactions to rees' mlsa and lepromin, and reactogenicity of m.w vaccine in the local population. two doses of m.w, 1 x 10(9) bacilli and 5 x 10(9) bacilli, were used, in two separate studies of 395 and 400 "healthy" individuals aged 1-65 years. in each study, the study subjects receive ... | 1996 | 9001899 |
| interferon-gamma differentially regulates interleukin-12 and interleukin-10 production in leprosy. | the ability of monocytes to influence the nature of the t cell response to microbial pathogens is mediated in part by the release of cytokines. of particular importance is the release of il-12 and il-10 by cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage upon encountering the infectious agent. il-12 promotes cell mediated immunity (cmi) to intracellular pathogens by augmenting t-helper type 1 responses, whereas il-10 downregulates these responses. the ability of ifn-gamma to modulate the balance between ... | 1997 | 9006002 |
| mycobacterium tuberculosis efpa encodes an efflux protein of the qaca transporter family. | the mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv efpa gene encodes a putative efflux protein, efpa, of 55,670 da. the deduced efpa protein was similar in secondary structure to pur8, mmra, tcma, lfra, emrb, and other members of the qaca transporter family (qaca tf) which mediate antibiotic and chemical resistance in bacteria and yeast. the predicted efpa sequence possessed all transporter motifs characteristic of the qaca tf, including those associated with proton-antiport function and the motif considered ... | 1997 | 9008277 |
| lipids from mycobacterium leprae cell wall are endowed with an anti-inflammatory property and inhibit macrophage function in vivo. | in general, the majority of bacteria are pre-inflammatory when injected in experimental animals. however, mycobacterium leprae has no inflammatory effect when injected into mouse footpad, but using the delipidated mycobacteria we observed a mild significant increase in footpad oedema. other mycobacteria, mycobacterium bovis-bcg or m. tuberculosis induce a strong paw oedema. furthermore, m. leprae reduced locally the bcg-induced inflammatory reaction in mouse footpad, whereas delipidated m. lepra ... | 1996 | 9014830 |
| experimental evaluation of possible new short-term drug regimens for treatment of multibacillary leprosy. | groups of nude mice, with both hind footpads infected with 10(8) mycobacterium leprae organisms, were treated with 4-week courses of different drug combinations. the effect treatment on each group was evaluated by subinoculating footpad homogenates from the treated mice into groups of normal and nude mice for subsequent regrowth, assessed 1 year later. a combination of rifampin (rmp) with clarithromycin (clari), minocycline (mino), and ofloxacin (oflo) resulted in the complete killing of m. lepr ... | 1997 | 9021187 |
| detection of mycobacterial dna in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens by duplex polymerase chain reaction: application to histopathologic diagnosis. | granuloma is a chronic inflammatory process associated with noninfectious agents or infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. determination of the causative agent might be occasionally difficult in histopathologic sections. in this study, we examined 60 specimens of granuloma or inflammatory lesions that were originally diagnosed as 51 cases of granulomatous inflammation, 6 of leprosy, and 3 of atypical mycobacteriosis. the diagnoses in the last two categories were made both histologically and c ... | 1997 | 9021730 |
| short-term follow up of patients with multibacillary leprosy and hiv infection. | during a period of 9 years, four male patients with hiv and hansen's disease were detected in tamil nadu, south india. the sequence as to which infection came first is not known. all had high-risk sexual behavior with commercial sex workers and a past history of genital ulcer disease. their spectrum of leprosy was multibacillary. patient no. 1 had pure neural leprosy of the lepromatous type, which is rare. he also had a single episode of type 1 reaction which did not require steroid therapy. des ... | 1996 | 9030104 |
| use of nasba rna amplification for detection of mycobacterium leprae in skin biopsies from untreated and treated leprosy patients. | this study was performed to assess the value of nasba rna amplification of a 16s rrna target for the detection of presumably viable mycobacterium leprae in sections of skin biopsies from leprosy patients. the nasba positivity rate was 90.4% (84/93) for untreated multibacillary (mb) patients [bacterial index (bi) > or = 2] and 16.7% (8/48) for the untreated paucibacillary (pb) patients (bi < 2). nasba positivity showed a good concordance with the presence of solidly stained m. leprae [morphologic ... | 1996 | 9030105 |
| polymerase chain reaction of nasal swabs from tuberculosis patients and their contacts. | previous studies have found mycobacterium leprae in nasal swabs from leprosy patients, their contacts, and persons living in endemic areas. it might be expected that m. tuberculosis would be present on nasal mucosa of pulmonary tuberculosis patients, but whether they can be detected in patients or contacts is unknown. we used the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) technique on nasal swabs from tuberculosis patients, contacts of tuberculosis patients, leprosy patients, and london controls to look fo ... | 1996 | 9030106 |
| detection of m. leprae by gene amplification; combined ethidium-bromide staining and probe hybridization. | biopsy and skin-scraping specimens from 130 leprosy cases across the disease spectrum (56 tt/bt/i, 73 bb/bl/ll, and 1 neuritic case) and 50 healthy contacts were studied to assess the application of gene amplification. the nucleic acids from these clinical specimens were extracted by an integrated freeze-thawing--optimized lysozyme-/proteinase-k treatment-purification and fractionation procedure. the nucleic acids from cultured organisms were isolated by the stepwise procedure earlier standardiz ... | 1996 | 9030107 |
| enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) with mycobacterial crude antigens for the sero-epidemiological diagnosis of active tuberculosis. | in search for reliable, nonexpensive procedures for tuberculosis diagnosis suitable for seroepidemiological studies in leprosy-endemic areas, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) with whole intact bacilli, whole lipid-free bacilli and protein-enriched soluble extracts from the h37rv mycobacterium tuberculosis strain were evaluated. sera tested came from 47 active, pulmonary tuberculosis adult cases, 60 household contacts of active tuberculosis cases, 20 lepromatous leprosy adult patients, ... | 1996 | 9030108 |
| electrophysiological evaluation of peripheral autonomic function in leprosy patients, leprosy contacts and controls. | since there is immunocytochemical evidence that the initial damage in leprosy is directed at distal, small, unmyelinated nerve fibers, we investigated several electrophysiological methods for their potential value in detecting peripheral autonomic dysfunction in leprosy contacts and leprosy patients. fingertip blood flow velocity and its control by vasomotor reflexes (vmr) with a laser doppler flowmeter, fingertip skin temperature, and the sympathetic skin response (ssr) to exosomatic stimuli we ... | 1996 | 9030110 |
| m. leprae and macrophage secretory products modulate the expression of ngcam on schwann cell surface. | 1996 | 9030113 | |
| dormancy, drug resistance or dependency; some thoughts to ponder. | 1996 | 9030116 | |
| bangkok workshop on leprosy research. research needs related to epidemiology and control: subclinical infection. | 1996 | 9030121 | |
| bangkok workshop on leprosy research. immunodiagnostics, including skin tests. | 1996 | 9030127 | |
| the contribution of serological tests to leprosy control. | 1996 | 9030128 | |
| bangkok workshop on leprosy research. genome sequencing and its potential applications. | 1996 | 9030129 | |
| immunoprophylaxis of leprosy--lessons from the tb program. | 1996 | 9030131 | |
| immunoprophylaxis against leprosy; the case for improved vaccines against leprosy. | 1996 | 9030132 | |
| vaccination against leprosy--the view from 1996. | 1996 | 9033195 | |
| response to treatment by multidrug regimens in the thelep controlled clinical drug trials. subcommittee on clinical trials of the chemotherapy of leprosy (thelep) scientific working group of the undp/world bank/who special programme for research and training in tropical diseases. | during the period 1977-1983, clinical trials of five multidrug regimens were conducted among 215 patients with previously untreated multibacillary leprosy at the institut marchoux, bamako, mali, and the central leprosy teaching and research institute, chingleput, south india. the trials were designed primarily to permit measurement of the proportions of persisting mycobacterium leprae in the patients' skin lesions. in addition, the combination of the large number of patients studied, the large v ... | 1996 | 9033197 |
| primary resistance to single and multiple drugs in leprosy--a mouse footpad study. | skin biopsy homogenates obtained from three cases of lepromatous leprosy with no prior history of antileprosy treatment were tested in the mouse footpad for the sensitivity of mycobacterium leprae to multiple drugs. one of the inocula was sensitive to all the three drugs tested using the highest concentration each of dds 0.01 g%, rfp 0.03 g% and clf 0.01 g%. the 2nd inocula showed growth in the presence of 0.01 g% dds only. while the 3rd inocula (pt. ku) tested resistant to all the three drugs i ... | 1996 | 9033198 |
| borderline--tuberculoid leprosy: clinical and immunological heterogeneity. | the authors analysed some immunological criteria in leprosy patients diagnosed as borderline tuberculoid by the presentation of different grades of skin lesions as well as different grades of nerve involvement. only 50% of the patients presented a single skin lesion and 58% had none or only one affected nerve. nineteen patients (39.6%) showed a positive lepromin reaction (induration > or = 5 mm). patients with a positive skin test had a greater number of skin lesions when compared with patients ... | 1996 | 9033199 |
| suppression of lymph node lymphoproliferation to viable mycobacterium leprae by peripheral blood-derived monocytes. | 1996 | 9033205 | |
| human t-cell clones to the 70-kilodalton heat shock protein of mycobacterium leprae define mycobacterium-specific epitopes rather than shared epitopes. | the mycobacterial 70-kda heat shock protein (hsp70) is a dominant antigen during the human t-cell response to mycobacterial infection despite the conserved sequence with the human homolog. to determine whether this response is pathogen specific, cd4+ t-cell clones were isolated from mycobacterium leprae hsp70-reactive individuals. the cytokine profile of the clones was mixed, with all of the clones releasing interferon gamma and half releasing interleukin-4 on stimulation, while six demonstrated ... | 1997 | 9038316 |
| bangkok workshop on leprosy research. diagnosis, classification and prognosis. | 1996 | 9044915 | |
| the mannose receptor delivers lipoglycan antigens to endosomes for presentation to t cells by cd1b molecules. | we have characterized the cd1b-mediated presentation pathway for the mycobacterial lipoglycan lipoarabinomannan (lam) in monocyte-derived antigen-presenting cells. the macrophage mannose receptor (mr) was responsible for uptake of lam. antagonism of mr function inhibited both the internalization of lam and the presentation of this antigen to lam-reactive t cells. intracellular mrs were most abundant in early endosomes, but they also were located in the compartment for mhc class ii antigen loadin ... | 1997 | 9047240 |
| [an experimental nerve lesion simulating leprous neuropathy produced in the nude mice by the inoculation of a leproma-derived and cultivable mycobacterium hi-75]. | among the lesions caused by mycobacteriosis, peripheral neuropathy has been regarded as the pathognomonic one peculiar to leprosy which is caused only by m. leprae (ml) which can not be cultivated. if that whole sentence is correct, no past report should be in existence concerning the peripheral neuropathy caused by the experimental inoculation of certain cultivated mycobacterium and not of ml. there was, however an exception challenging to that theory which was done by sasaki et al. in 1985. th ... | 1996 | 9050357 |
| a genomic study of the leproma-derived and cultivable mycobacterium hi-75. the direct dna sequencing of pcr product of 16s ribosomal rna. | 1996 | 9050358 | |
| [anatomopathologic study of five cases of leprosy in hiv seropositive patients]. | in an effort to establish whether the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) modifies the histological image of lepromatous skin lesion, a comparative study was conducted in 1994 at the marchoux institute in bamako, mali, on persons newly suffering from leprosy who had been tested seropositive and seronegative for the hiv virus. these new leprosy patients had never been treated and could be grouped as follows: 5 hiv-positive (1 tt, 1 bt, 1 bl, 2 ll) and 10 controls testing hiv-negative, selected acc ... | 1996 | 9054200 |
| use of the polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of leprosy. | one of the main limitations for successful epidemiological control of leprosy is the lack of a method for its diagnosis in subclinical cases. because of the long incubation period of the disease, liberation and spread of mycobacterium leprae during subclinical stages-principally in cases of untreated multibacillary forms of leprosy-constitute the main source of infection. this report describes the use of the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for the detection of m. leprae in different types of tis ... | 1997 | 9060878 |
| nerve growth factor production and expression of p75 by schwann cells and neurofibroblasts in response to m. leprae infection and macrophage secretory products. | this study describes the changes occurring in vitro in nerve growth factor (ngf) production and expression of p75 by murine schwann cells and neurofibroblasts, following infection with mycobacterium leprae and in the presence of macrophage secretory products, using a semiquantitative elisa. these parameters are compared in two strains of mice, swiss white (sw) and c57b1/6, as they differ in their response to m. leprae infection; c57b1/6 is the 'resistant' strain. on infection, ngf levels remaine ... | 1997 | 9061691 |
| subcellular localization of the 65-kda heat shock protein in mycobacteria by immunoblotting and immunogold ultracytochemistry. | the 65-kda heat shock protein (hsp65) is an immunodominant antigen in mycobacterial infections and also the key etiologic factor in mycobacteria-induced autoimmune arthritis. because the subcellular distribution of hsp65 in the mycobacteria may be relevant to understand its immunoreactivity, we have investigated the presence of hsp65 in the envelope and cytoplasmic compartments of the bacilli. anti-hsp65 antibodies were used in western blottings to investigate the presence of hsp65 in cell fract ... | 1997 | 9066146 |
| immunological status of enl (erythema nodosum leprosum) patients: its relationship to bacterial load and levels of circulating il-2r. | recent data suggest that the clinical course of reactional states in leprosy is closely related to the cytokine profile released locally or systemically by the patients. in the present study, patients with erythema nodosum leprosum (enl) were grouped according to the intensity of their clinical symptoms. clinical and immunological aspects of enl and the impact of these parameters on bacterial load were assessed in conjunction with patients' in vitro immune response to mycobacterial antigens. in ... | 1996 | 9071029 |
| the rlep-flanked pola gene from mycobacterium leprae is not transcribed in mycobacterium smegmatis. | a pola mutant of mycobacterium smegmatis (ms) lacking dna polymerase activity could not support the replication of a pal5000-derived plasmid or a derivative harbouring the rlep-flanked pola gene from m. leprae (mlep). in contrast, the plasmid containing the m. tuberculosis pola gene transformed the mutant with high efficiency and complemented its damage-sensitive phenotype suggesting that the replication of the pal5000 origin is dependent on host poli function and that the rlep-flanked mlep pola ... | 1997 | 9073067 |
| expression of mycobacterial antigens on murine dissociated schwann cells infected with mycobacterium leprae. | mycobacterial antigens were detected in a cell surface elisa on murine dissociated schwann cells infected with mycobacterium leprae. the time kinetics of expression and its refractoriness to modulation with monensin suggests that the antigens are likely to be integrated into the membrane during bacterial entry. this may be partially responsible for the defective schwann cell functions leading to subsequent peripheral nerve damage. | 1997 | 9075220 |
| interactions of oxyr with the promoter region of the oxyr and ahpc genes from mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis. | in contrast to the intact oxyr gene (a homolog of the central regulator of peroxide stress response in enteric bacteria) in mycobacterium leprae, this gene is inactive in all strains of m. tuberculosis. in both species, oxyr is divergently transcribed from ahpc, which encodes a homolog of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase. to initiate investigations of the regulation of oxidative stress in mycobacteria and consequences of the elimination of oxyr in m. tuberculosis, in this work we tested the hypothe ... | 1997 | 9079928 |
| antibody production to heat shock proteins with mr 65 kd (hsp65) in cutaneous inflammation: a possible relation to focal infection. | in order to correlate the immunomodulatory roles of homologous heat shock proteins with mr 65 kd (hsp65) to skin diseases, antibody level to recombinant-hsp65 of mycobacterium leprae was quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) in the sera of patients. in psoriasis, an insignificant increase was observed in anti-hsp65 igg (0.111 +/- 0.053, mean +/- sd in 0d492 nm, n = 22), compared with a normal group (0.080 +/- 0.032, n = 9). however, psoriasis of acute guttate-type (pga), whic ... | 1996 | 9082780 |
| cytokine networks with infection: mycobacterial infections, leishmaniasis, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and sepsis. | distinct cytokine profiles are clearly associated with and relate to the severity of several types of infections. cytokine networks are apparent with selected human infectious diseases, such as mycobacterial infections (leprosy, tuberculosis), the parasitic infection leishmaniasis, human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection, and gram-negative sepsis. cytokine profiles are determined to some extent by two functional subsets of t lymphocytes, th1 and th2. the th1 cytokines (interferon gamma, int ... | 1997 | 9085311 |
| dual role of mannan-binding protein in infections: another case of heterosis? | human mannan-binding protein (mbp) is a serum lectin that participates in the immune defence by mediating phagocytosis and activation of complement. variant mbp alleles causing dominant low-serum concentrations have high frequencies in all populations studied, and therefore, low mbp concentrations may confer selective advantages to those individuals carrying the variant alleles. mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, is an obligate intracellular parasite dependent on phagocytosis ... | 1994 | 9098426 |
| neural targeting of mycobacterium leprae mediated by the g domain of the laminin-alpha2 chain. | we report that the molecular basis of the neural tropism of mycobacterium leprae is attributable to the specific binding of m. leprae to the laminin-alpha2 (ln-alpha2) chain on schwann cell-axon units. using recombinant fragments of ln-alpha2 (rln-alpha2), the m. leprae-binding site was localized to the g domain. rln-alpha2g mediated m. leprae binding to cell lines and to sciatic nerves of dystrophic dy/dy mice lacking ln-alpha2, but expressing laminin receptors. anti-beta4 integrin antibody att ... | 1997 | 9118224 |
| effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on prostaglandin e2 production and cell-mediated immunity in a mouse model of leprosy. | results from animal and in vitro studies suggest that essential fatty acid (efa) deficiency enhances cell-mediated immunity by reducing production of prostaglandins with immunosuppressive actions. however, direct experimental evidence that efa deficiency enhances t-lymphocyte function in vivo has not been obtained. in this study, athymic (nu/nu) mice were infected in the footpads with mycobacterium leprae and fed a linoleic acid-free diet. these mice, and infected nu/nu mice on control diets, we ... | 1997 | 9119445 |
| release of reactive nitrogen intermediates from the peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macrophages of leprosy patients stimulated in vitro by tuftsin. | the production of reactive nitrogen intermediates (rni) by macrophages is critical to host defence, particularly for exerting the bactericidal and tumoricidal properties. nitric oxide (no) were measured in the peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macrophages of normal and leprosy patients (bt/tt and bl/ll) in the presence and absence of 'tuftsin' as a function of in vitro culture age (on 1, 3, 7 days). macrophages from both groups of leprosy patients were able to produce no during the unstimulated ... | 1997 | 9121327 |
| susceptibility of severe combined immunodeficient mice to mycobacterium leprae. | the susceptibility of severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mice to human leprosy bacilli was investigated. nude mice were used as controls. scid mice were found to be highly susceptible to mycobacterium leprae and the progress of infection was comparatively 2-3 months earlier than observed in the nude mice. after reaching a maximum of approximately 1 x 10(9) acid fast bacilli/foot pad at about 8 months postinfection the number of bacilli gradually decreased. the progress of infection in nude m ... | 1996 | 9121376 |
| [regulation of the immune response: the th1/th2 concept]. | the immune system has different possible ways of reacting to an antigen. the choice of an appropriate immune response is determined by the manner of antigen presentation, the amount of antigen, the localization of antigen uptake, the type of antigen presenting cell, the genetic predisposition of the individual and the presence of certain cytokines released by antigen presenting or other inflammatory cells. an immune response which is not not appropriate can lead to clinical symptoms or insuffici ... | 1997 | 9132932 |
| evaluation of the mycobacterium leprae particle agglutination (mlpa) test as a tool in the epidemiology of leprosy in high prevalence village in south sulawesi, indonesia. | this study reports on the usefulness of an igm phenolic glycolipid-1 (pgl-1) mycobacterium leprae particle agglutination (mlpa) test for serodiagnosis of leprosy in a prospective longitudinal community survey in a high prevalence village in south sulawesi, indonesia, igm pgl-1 mlpa has simple and limited value as a screening method for detection of transmission of leprosy in the community. many normal persons in the community in a high prevalence area had increased igm anti pgl-1 antibodies, pre ... | 1995 | 9139365 |
| a mycobacterial extracytoplasmic function sigma factor involved in survival following stress. | the extracytoplasmic function (ecf) sigma factors constitute a diverse group of alternative sigma factors that have been demonstrated to regulate gene expression in response to environmental conditions in several bacterial species. genes encoding an ecf sigma factor of mycobacterium tuberculosis, mycobacterium avium, and mycobacterium smegmatis, designated sige, were cloned and analyzed. southern blot analysis demonstrated the presence of a single copy of this gene in these species and in mycoba ... | 1997 | 9139909 |
| nucleotide sequence of the mycobacterium leprae katg region. | synthetic oligonucleotide primers based on the dna sequence data of the escherichia coli, mycobacterium tuberculosis, and mycobacterium intracellulare katg genes encoding the heme-containing enzyme catalase-peroxidase were used to amplify and analyze the mycobacterium leprae katg region by pcr. a 1.6-kb dna fragment, which hybridized to an m. tuberculosis katg probe, was obtained from an m. leprae dna template. southern hybridization analysis with a probe derived from the pcr-amplified fragment ... | 1997 | 9139928 |
| molecular characterization of the aspergillus nidulans trea gene encoding an acid trehalase required for growth on trehalose. | aspergillus nidulans conidiospores contain high levels of the non-reducing disaccharide trehalose. we show that upon induction of conidiospore germination, the trehalose pool is rapidly degraded and a glycerol pool is transiently accumulated. a trehalase with an acidic ph optimum was purified from conidiospores. characterization of the trea gene encoding this trehalase shows that it is homologous to saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar acid trehalase, the product of the ath1 gene, and to two relate ... | 1997 | 9140977 |
| leprosy resistant to multi-drug-therapy (mdt) successfully treated with ampicillin-sulbactam combination--(a case report). | a 50 year male developed a discoid lesion of leprosy on the face. inspite of dapsone 100 mg/day and rifampicin 600 mgm per day the disease spread to both sides of the face and forehead. it became worse with prednisolone and clofazimine. it cleared completely when sultamicillin was added to the latter. this seems to be the first patient of leprosy to be treated with this combination and reported. | 1996 | 9141351 |
| on the catalase-peroxidase gene, katg, of mycobacterium leprae and the implications for treatment of leprosy with isoniazid. | the toxicity of the potent tuberculocidal agent, isoniazid, is mediated by the heme-containing enzyme, catalase-peroxidase, encoded by the katg gene. although isoniazid has been used for the treatment of leprosy, it is shown here that the katg gene of mycobacterium leprae is a pseudogene, which has probably been inactivated by multiple mutations. inactive genes were detected by the polymerase chain reaction in several isolates of m. leprae, of different geographical origins, and attempts to comp ... | 1997 | 9141669 |
| catalytic properties of lipoamide dehydrogenase from mycobacterium smegmatis. | lipoamide dehydrogenase from mycobacterium smegmatis was purified to homogeneity over 60-fold. of 20 amino acid residues identified at the amino terminus of the enzyme, 18 and 17 were identical to the sequences of mycobacterium leprae and pseudomonas fluorescens lipoamide dehydrogenases, respectively. the visible spectrum of the isolated enzyme was characteristic of a flavin in apolar environment. reduction of the enzyme with dithionite results in the appearance of an absorbance shoulder at 530- ... | 1997 | 9143318 |
| pregnancy in patients with hansen disease. | three pregnancies occurred in a cohort of 40 patients with hansen disease during a 6-year period. there are few recent reports in the english literature that deal with pregnancy in patients with hansen disease. these 3 cases are presented in the context of previously reported cohorts. | 1997 | 9158416 |
| differential ability of t cell subsets to undergo activation-induced cell death. | human t cell clones were analyzed for their susceptibility to activation-induced cell death (aicd) in response to cd3/t cell receptor ligation. aicd was observed only in th1 clones and was fas-mediated, whereas th2 clones resisted aicd. analysis of a panel of th0 clones, characterized by their ability to secrete both th1 and th2 cytokines, revealed that this subset included both aicd-sensitive (type a) and -resistant (type b) clones. resistance to aicd by th2 and th0-type b clones was not due to ... | 1997 | 9159150 |
| aminoglycoside 2'-n-acetyltransferase genes are universally present in mycobacteria: characterization of the aac(2')-ic gene from mycobacterium tuberculosis and the aac(2')-id gene from mycobacterium smegmatis. | the genus mycobacterium comprises clinically important pathogens such as m. tuberculosis, which has reemerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide especially with the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. the use of fast-growing species such as mycobacterium smegmatis has allowed important advances to be made in the field of mycobacterial genetics and in the study of the mechanisms of resistance in mycobacteria. the isolation of an aminoglycoside-resistance gene from mycoba ... | 1997 | 9159528 |
| the helicobacter pylori urec gene codes for a phosphoglucosamine mutase. | the function of urec, the product of a 1,335-bp-long open reading frame upstream from the urease structural genes (ureab) of helicobacter pylori, was investigated. we present data showing that the urec gene product is a phosphoglucosamine mutase. d. mengin-lecreulx and j. van heijenoort (j. biol. chem. 271:32-39, 1996) observed that urec is similar (43% identity) to the glmm protein of escherichia coli. those authors showed that glmm is a phosphoglucosamine mutase catalyzing interconversion of g ... | 1997 | 9171391 |
| value of nerve biopsy in the diagnosis and follow-up of leprosy: the role of vascular lesions and usefulness of nerve studies in the detection of persistent bacilli. | nerve biopsy specimens from 53 patients with leprosy and neuropathy were taken from the sural, the dorsal branch of the ulnar, or the superficial radial nerves and processed for light and electron microscopy. there was inflammation in 40 cases (75%), 7 with a granulomatous reaction, various stages of fibrosis in 35 (66%), and endoneurial vascular neoformation in 7. in two cases, small focal infarcts were associated with marked endoneurial inflammation compressing the vessels, in addition to endo ... | 1997 | 9178158 |
| increased intracellular survival of mycobacterium smegmatis containing the mycobacterium leprae thioredoxin-thioredoxin reductase gene. | the thioredoxin (trx) system of mycobacterium leprae is expressed as a single hybrid protein containing thioredoxin reductase (tr) at its n terminus and trx at its c terminus. this hybrid trx system is unique to m. leprae, since in all other organisms studied to date, including other mycobacteria, both tr and trx are expressed as two separate proteins. because trx has been shown to scavenge reactive oxygen species, we have investigated whether the tr-trx gene product can inhibit oxygen-dependent ... | 1997 | 9199416 |
| determinants of t cell reactivity to the mycobacterium leprae groes homologue. | the 10-kda protein ag of mycobacterium leprae, a human groes hsp10 cognate, is a major t cell ag in human leprosy infection. we investigated the mechanism for t cell responsiveness to this ag according to the trimolecular interaction between t cell, peptide, and ag-presenting element. this research was accomplished by mapping t cell epitopes in leprosy patients and correlating these responses with peptide-mhc binding affinities. we found that the majority of tuberculoid leprosy patients responde ... | 1997 | 9200471 |
| gene knockout reveals a novel gene cluster for the synthesis of a class of cell wall lipids unique to pathogenic mycobacteria. | surface-exposed unusual lipids containing phthiocerol and phenolphthiocerol are found only in the cell wall of slow-growing pathogenic mycobacteria and are thought to play important roles in host-pathogen interaction. the enzymology and molecular genetics of biosynthesis of phthiocerol and phenolphthiocerol are unknown. we postulate the domain organization of a set of multifunctional enzymes and a cluster of genes (pps) that would encode these enzymes for the biosynthesis of phthiocerol and phen ... | 1997 | 9201977 |
| regional lymphadenitis following antileprosy vaccine bcg with killed mycobacterium leprae. | phase-ii and extended phase-ii studies were conducted in three different sets of the population in thiruthani taluk, chengalpattu district, south india, involving bcg and killed mycobacterium leprae (kml) combination vaccines to ascertain the acceptability of the vaccines. in the phase-ii study, 997 healthy volunteers were vaccinated on individual randomization with one of the vaccines arms: bcg 0.1 mg + 6 x 10(8) kml, bcg 0.1 mg + 5 x 10(7) kml, bcg 0.1 mg + 5 x 10(6) kml, bcg, 0.1 mg or normal ... | 1997 | 9207749 |
| differential development of cd4 and cd8 cytotoxic t cells (ctl) in pbmc across the leprosy spectrum; il-6 with ifn-gamma or il-2 generate ctl in multibacillary patients. | in the present study we evaluated the contribution of cd4 and cd8 t cells on the antigen-specific cytotoxic activity induced by whole mycobacterium leprae in leprosy patients and normal controls (n) as well as the modulation of this activity by some cytokines. peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) from n or from leprosy patients were stimulated with antigen in the presence or absence of cytokines for 7 days. m. leprae-stimulated pbmc were depleted of cd4 or cd8 antigen-bearing cells and empl ... | 1997 | 9207753 |
| immunotherapy of lepromin-negative borderline leprosy patients with low-dose convit vaccine as an adjunct to multidrug therapy; a six-year follow-up study in calcutta. | the present report, which describes management of lepromin-negative borderline leprosy patients with low-dose convit vaccine, is an extension of our earlier study on the treatment of lepromatous leprosy patients with low-dose convit vaccine as an adjunct to multidrug therapy (mdt). the test group i, consisting of 50 lepromin-negative, borderline leprosy patients, were given low-dose convit vaccine plus mdt. the control group ii consisted of 25 lepromin-negative, borderline leprosy patients given ... | 1997 | 9207754 |
| dharmendra antigen but not integral m. leprae is an efficient inducer of immunostimulant cytokine production by human monocytes, and m. leprae lipids inhibit the cytokine production. | killed integral mycobacterium leprae, mitsuda antigen, and chloroform-treated m. leprae, dharmendra antigen (dh-ag), have been used for the classification of leprosy patients based on cell-mediated immunity. heat-killed m. leprae also were used as a component of the convit vaccine. human blood monocytes were stimulated with m. leprae or dh-ag and their cytokine-inducing ability was compared. monocytes were cultured in the presence of fresh human serum because of the efficiency of cytokine induct ... | 1997 | 9207755 |
| cytokine gene expression in the foot pad and spleen of balb/cajcl mice infected with m. leprae. | the cytokine mrnas expressed in the foot pads and spleens of balb/cajcl mice infected with mycobacterium leprae were studied by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) method using cytokine-specific primers for interleukin-1 alpha (il-1 alpha), -2, -4, -6, -10, -12-(p40), gamma interferon (ifn-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-alpha), and tnf-beta, and then for cd4 and cd8 markers. the pattern of cytokine gene expression in the foot pad which supports m. leprae growth ... | 1997 | 9207757 |
| influence of ddt exposure on susceptibility to human leprosy bacilli in mice. | 1997 | 9207760 | |
| dapsone decreases the cumulative incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic female mice. | dapsone (4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone) has a large clinical experience due to its antimicrobial effects against mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, and is used clinically where inflammation mediated by neutrophils is perceived to play a role. we administered dapsone in two concentrations (0.001% and 0.0001% w/w of diet) to 30 female non-obese diabetic (nod) mice to explore the effect of dapsone on the development of iddm following either a 1-week pulse or 20 weeks of continuous ... | 1997 | 9207862 |
| household and dwelling contact as risk factors for leprosy in northern malawi. | data on household and dwelling contact with known leprosy cases were available on more than 80,000 initially disease-free individuals followed up during the 1980s in a rural district of northern malawi. a total of 331 new cases of leprosy were diagnosed among them. individuals recorded as living in household or dwelling contact with multibacillary patients at the start of follow-up were at approximately five- to eightfold increased risk of leprosy, respectively, compared with individuals not liv ... | 1997 | 9215227 |
| lymphostimulatory and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to a candidate leprosy vaccine strain: mycobacterium habana. | lymphostimulatory and delayed-type hypersensitivity (dth) immune responses to a candidate antileprosy vaccine mycobacterium habana have been quantified in inbred akr mice. m. habana vaccine in three physical states, live, heat-killed and gamma-irradiated, was given intradermally to separate groups of mice and after 28 days these mice were given subcutaneous challenge with heat-killed m. leprae and heat-killed m. habana in the left hind footpad. live bcg vaccine alone and in combination with gamm ... | 1997 | 9217351 |