Publications

characterization of a mycobacterium smegmatis mutant lacking penicillin binding protein 1.	the pona gene of mycobacterium smegmatis encodes a 95-kda penicillin binding protein, pbp1, that is similar to pbp1s of mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae. transposon disruption of pona in m. smegmatis resulted in a pbp1-deficient mutant that was sensitive to beta-lactam antibiotics, was more permeable to glycine, and grew slowly in liquid culture.	1999	10582900
bactericidal action of ampicillin/sulbactam against intracellular mycobacteria.	the resistance of mycobacteria to beta-lactam antibiotics is attributed to their ability to synthesize beta-lactamase. in our previous studies, beta-lactam/beta-lactamase-inhibitor combinations suppressed the growth of several mycobacteria in axenic cultures and ampicillin/sulbactam was bactericidal to mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv in vitro, and to mycobacterium leprae multiplying in mouse foot-pads. since both these organisms multiply in phagocytic cells in the host, it is important to know ...	1999	10595573
recognition of phenolic glycolipid-i (mycobacterium leprae) and sulfolipid-i (m. tuberculosis) by serum from mexican patients with leprosy or tuberculosis.	differential diagnosis of leprosy and tuberculosis in regions where both illnesses are endemic is a prerequisite for proper identification and treatment.	1999	10599015
south indian leprosy vaccine trial: important lessons for mycobacterial immunology.		1999	10603712
the us-japan joint leprosy research program meeting, san francisco, june 28-30, 1999.		1999	10603713
antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for determination of anti-pgl-i specific circulating immune complex in leprosy patients.	a serological study was performed in 122 individuals: 75 leprosy patients and 47 healthy controls. the elisa test was performed for igg and igm using the glycolipid pgl-i antigen from mycobacterium leprae. circulating immune complexes (cic) were isolated by peg 6000 precipitation method and after dissociation with an acid solution, the igg and igm specific against pgl-i were tested with the elisa test. the multibacillary patients had high levels of antibodies, compared with paucibacillary patien ...	1999	10603715
immunohistochemical detection of pgl-1, lam, 30 kd and 65 kd antigens in leprosy infected paraffin preserved skin and nerve sections.	a panel of lipid, carbohydrate and protein antibodies were optimized for use in detecting m. leprae antigens in paraffin embedded material. skin and nerve biopsies from 13 patients across the leprosy spectrum were studied. all antibodies detected antigen in tissues with a bi > 1. phenolic-glycolipid was not detected in bacteriologically negative tissue but lipoarabinomanan (lam) and protein antigens were detected. staining with lam was strongest and gave least background. the transfer of this im ...	1999	10603716
presence of m. leprae in tissues in slit skin smear negative multibacillary (mb) patients after who-mbr.	this study looked for m. leprae in the lymph node, nerve and skin of multibacillary (mb) leprosy patients who become slit skin smear negative after the completion of who-mbr. twenty-five who-mbr-treated multibacillary leprosy patients were studied; borderline lepromatous (bl) leprosy (n = 11) and lepromatous (ll) leprosy (n = 14)). fifteen patients had reaction (erythema nodosum leprosum 11, upgrading reaction 4) either at presentation or during therapy. all patients attained slit skin smear neg ...	1999	10603717
ribosomal protein l7 included in tuberculin purified protein derivative (ppd) is a major heat-resistant protein inducing strong delayed-type hypersensitivity.	the tuberculin purified protein derivative (ppd) is a widely used diagnostic antigen for tuberculosis. it consists of more than 100 denatured proteins in a culture filtrate of a heated culture of mycobacterium tuberculosis. in two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of ppds from m. tuberculosis and m. bovis bcg, most proteins were diffusely separated and could not be seen as spots because of denaturation, whereas a few proteins showed relatively clear spots, indicating heat resistance. two such ...	1999	10607306
an immunotherapeutic vaccine for multibacillary leprosy.	on january 30, 1998, a vaccine for leprosy based on mycobacterium w (the code word under which this species hitherto unspecified was investigated) was launched for public use for therapeutic purposes. the vaccine has completed phase iii immunotherapeutic trials as an adjunct to chemotherapy in urban and rural leprosy control centres and has received the authorization from the drugs controller of india for industrial manufacture. it will be made available by m/s cadila pharmaceuticals, ahmedabad. ...	1999	10614726
extensive sequence homology between the mycobacterium leprae lsr (12 kda) antigen and its mycobacterium tuberculosis counterpart.	the mycobacterium leprae lsr (12 kda) protein antigen has been reported to mimic whole cell m. leprae in t cell responses across the leprosy spectrum. in addition, b cell responses to specific sequences within the lsr antigen have been shown to be associated with immunopathological responses in leprosy patients with erythema nodosum leprosum. we have in the present study applied the m. leprae lsr dna sequence as query to search for the presence of homologous genes within the recently completed m ...	2000	10617795
inhibition of multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in mouse foot pads by recombinant bacillus catmette-guérin (bcg).	immunization of mice with recombinant mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette-guérin (rbcg) which over-produces a putative protective antigen candidate, the a component of antigen 85 complex (ag85a), reduced the multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in the foot pads of mice. the inhibition by this rbcg (rbcg/85a) was more evident than that with parental bcg. repeated rbcg/85a immunization significantly could reduce m. leplae multiplication in mice. this is first report of rbcg to control mycobact ...	2000	10618524
the gene encoding mycobacterial dna-binding protein i (mdpi) transformed rapidly growing bacteria to slowly growing bacteria.	pathogenic species of mycobacterium are slowly growing intracellular bacteria. slow growth is important for the parasitism of these organisms and chronicity of the disease, but its precise mechanism has not been elucidated. recently, we found that a novel dna-binding protein (mdpi) was expressed (7-10% in total protein) in mycobacteria, such as mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette-guérin, mycobacterium tuberculosis, and mycobacterium leprae. in this study, we observed that mdpi interfered with ...	2000	10620682
in vitro activities of phenothiazine-type calmodulin antagonists against mycobacterium leprae.	calmodulin-like protein has been established as the primary receptor for calcium in eukaryotic as well as prokaryotic cells. the calmodulin-calcium complex regulates a variety of enzymes including nucleotide phosphodiesterase. recently, the presence of this protein in mycobacterium leprae has been demonstrated and the effects of phenothiazine-type calmodulin antagonists on in vitro growth of m. leprae in a cell-free culture system were investigated. two biochemical parameters were used to measur ...	1999	10624009
[mycobacterium leprae].		1999	10635795
how does mycobacterium leprae target the peripheral nervous system?	mycobacterium leprae has the capacity to invade the peripheral nervous system and cause neuropathy. the molecular mechanisms responsible have remained unknown until recently. identification of the endoneurial laminin-2 isoform and its receptor alpha-dystroglycan as neural targets of m. leprae has not only opened up a new area of scientific inquiry into the pathogenesis of neurological damage in leprosy, but has also revealed unexpected biological properties of these important host molecules.	2000	10637640
gene expression, amino acid conservation, and hydrophobicity are the main factors shaping codon preferences in mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae.	mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae are the ethiological agents of tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively. after performing extensive comparisons between genes from these two gc-rich bacterial species, we were able to construct a set of 275 homologous genes. since these two bacterial species also have a very low growth rate, translational selection could not be so determinant in their codon preferences as it is in other fast-growing bacteria. indeed, principal-components analysis ...	2000	10654259
three pathways for trehalose biosynthesis in mycobacteria.	trehalose is present as a free disaccharide in the cytoplasm of mycobacteria and as a component of cell-wall glycolipids implicated in tissue damage associated with mycobacterial infection. to obtain an overview of trehalose metabolism, we analysed data from the mycobacterium tuberculosis genome project and identified orfs with homology to genes encoding enzymes from three trehalose biosynthesis pathways previously characterized in other bacteria. functional assays using mycobacterial extracts a ...	2000	10658666
shedding of soluble receptor for tumor necrosis factor alpha induced by m. leprae or lps from human mononuclear cells.	cell surface expression and release of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (tnfr type i) was analyzed after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) with mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) or lipopolysaccharide (lps). a transient spontaneous expression of tnfr type i on the surface of pbmc was observed. two hr after activation with lps, a significant reduction of tnfr type i expression was detected: release of tnfr type i by m. leprae or lps-stimulated pbmc was evaluated with an enz ...	1999	10659614
isolation, characterization, molecular cloning and amplification of a species-specific m. leprae antigen.	a polyclonal serum sample from a lepromatous leprosy (ll) patient, which presented a specific recognition pattern for leprosin, was used to screen a mycobacterium leprae genomic library constructed with dna isolated from human lepromas. one clone, designated ml4-1, which expressed a specific antigenic determinant of m. leprae as part of a beta-galactosidase fusion protein, was isolated. the 1.932 bp m. leprae-derived genomic fragment was sequenced, and it had an incomplete open-reading frame sho ...	1999	10700913
histopathological activity in paucibacillary leprosy patients after rom therapy.	histopathological activity was assessed in the skin tissue of 13 skin-smear negative, borderline tuberculoid leprosy patients after administration of a single dose of rom (rifampin 600 mg, ofloxacin 400 mg and minocycline 100 mg) therapy. biopsies taken just before therapy showed mycobacterium leprae to be present in eight cases. after 6 months, only three showed granulomatous lesions and others showed only resolving or inactive lesions. acid-fast bacilli (afb) persisted in the nerves of three c ...	1999	10700915
serologic response to mycobacterial proteins in hansen's patients during multidrug treatment.	humoral immune responses were studied in 24 leprosy patients treated with multidrug therapy (mdt) and 16 contacts. the patients were monitored for 2 to 3 years with repeated determination of igg antibody levels directed to different mycobacterial proteins (mycobacterium tuberculosis, mt70; m. bovis, mb65; m. leprae, ml36, 28, 18, 10 kda, and the complete protein m. leprae extract, mlsa). all recombinant antigens were used at 5 micrograms/ml concentration and the complete soluble m. leprae extrac ...	1999	10700916
leprosy in hypertensive nude rats (shr/ncrj-rnu).	since more than a decade ago, we have attempted to develop spontaneously hypertensive rats carrying the nude gene that permits high multiplication of mycobacterium leprae. a congenic strain carrying nude (rnu) and hypertensive genes was produced using shr/ncrj females and f344/njcl-rnu males. cross-intercross was carried out 12 times to establish the hypertensive nude rat congenic strain. as a result of the genetic monitoring test with ne12f2 generation rats, the genetic profile of the shr/ncrj- ...	1999	10700919
sciatic nerve of normal and t200x5r swiss white mice fails to support multiplication of intraneurally injected m. leprae.	in a preliminary study we have shown that freshly harvested mycobacterium leprae, when injected into the sciatic nerve in normal and immunosuppressed (tr) mice, induce massive but localized epithelioid and macrophage granuloma, respectively, in 3-4 weeks. in order to determine the fate of m. leprae injected intraneurally into normal and tr mice, in the present study we measured sequentially the viability, fold increase and clearance, if any, using semi-quantitative methods. the average m. leprae ...	1999	10700920
mitsuda-negative, resistant nine-banded armadillos and enhanced mitsuda response to live m. leprae.		1999	10700925
monitoring the effects of preventive therapy in the federated states of micronesia.		1999	10700932
vaccine trials in leprosy--venezuela, malawi and india.		1999	10700935
subclinical infection by mycobacterium leprae.		1999	10700941
detection of disease related immune complexes in the serum of leprosy patients. a novel single step method.	mycobacterium leprae antigen and antibody complexes could be detected in the serum of leprosy patients using monoclonal antibody ml34 and anti-bcg antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. this simplified system detects disease related complexes without the need for isolating and purifying them from the serum. immune complexes captured using monoclonal antibody ml34 revealed positivity in seven out of eight neuritic, two out of nine tuberculoid (tt), five out of ten borderline tuberculoid ...	2000	10713365
hla-restricted immune response to mycobacterial antigens: relevance to vaccine design.	identification of mycobacterial antigens that are recognized by cd4+ th1 cells in hla-nonrestricted manner or in association with multiple allelic products is required to develop universally effective vaccines against mycobacterial diseases. our studies in this direction have shown that several recombinant mycobacterial antigens of cytosolic and culture filtrate origin are recognized by cd4+ th1 cells. mapping of t cell epitopes with overlapping synthetic peptides covering the entire sequence of ...	2000	10717810
interaction of mycobacterium avium complex with human respiratory epithelial cells.	adherence of mycobacterium avium complex (mac) to human respiratory epithelial cells (hep-2) induced 2 distinct modes of internalization. in the first, mac induced ruffling of hep-2 cell membrane and formation of surface projections securing the bacilli on the surface, and concurrent membrane depressions, beneath the sites of attachment of bacilli, resulted in internalization of the organisms. the second mode involved formation of membrane folds wrapping around the bacilli, followed by internali ...	2000	10720553
role of a bacillus calmette-guérin fibronectin attachment protein in bcg-induced antitumor activity.	intravesical mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette-gu*erin (bcg) is the treatment of choice for superficial bladder cancer. previous studies showed that attachment of bcg to fibronectin within the bladder was necessary for mediation of the antitumor response. further studies identified a bacterial receptor, fibronectin attachment protein (fap), as an important mediator of bcg attachment to fibronectin. in vitro studies showed that a stable bcg/fibronectin interaction was dependent on fap binding ...	2000	10728599
interleukin-12 amplifies the m. leprae hsp65-cytotoxic response in the presence of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma generating cd56+ effector cells: interleukin-4 downregulates this effect.	interleukin-12 (il-12) is a major immunomodulatory cytokine that represents a functional bridge between the early resistance and the subsequent antigen specific adaptive immunity. tnf-alpha and ifn-gamma have an important role in the generation of hsp65 specific cytotoxic t lymphocytes (ctl) that lyse hsp65-pulsed autologous macrophages (hsp65 ctl). since a positive feedback mechanism between tnf-alpha, ifn-gamma and il-12 has been described, we undertook to evaluate the role of il-12 on the hsp ...	2000	10736095
immunological cytokine correlates of protective immunity and pathogenesis in leprosy.	the in vitro production of interferon (ifn)-gamma, interleukin (il)-5, tumour necrosis factor (tnf)-alpha and il-10 by blood mononuclear cells in response to whole mycobacterium leprae and polyclonal stimulii of 23 individuals, representing a variety of conditions in relation to exposure/susceptibility to m. leprae, was assayed. in most cases, healthy household contacts of newly diagnosed multibacillary leprosy patients, designated exposed household contacts (ec), showed low-to-undetectable in v ...	2000	10736116
atp content of mycobacterium tuberculosis grown in vivo and in vitro.	in order to determine the reason for the slow growth of mycobacterium leprae either in a host or in vitro, the growth characteristics of mycobacterium tuberculosis were studied. the atp content of in vitro-grown m. tuberculosis was about 520 pg/10(6) viable organisms. the atp levels from in vivo-derived organisms obtained from liver and spleen of mice was about 130 pg (in cases of chronic infection) and about 270 pg (in cases of acute infection). when the in vivo-derived organisms were inoculate ...	2000	10738981
mycobacterium leprae and neuropathies.		2000	10754571
leprosy in the new millennium.		2000	10755622
regulation by protein kinase of phagocytosis of mycobacterium leprae by macrophages.	mycobacterium leprae multiplies within host macrophages. the mechanism of internalisation of the bacteria by the phagocytic cells is unknown. in this study, m. leprae was purified from the foot pads of experimentally infected nu/nu mice. peritoneal macrophages were harvested from balb/c mice or c57 beige (bg/bg) mice. the effect of protein kinase inhibitors (erbstatin, genistein or staurosporine for balb/c and bg/bg mice, plus herbimycin for bg/bg mice) on phagocytosis of the mycobacteria by the ...	2000	10755627
cross-reactive epitopes and hla-restriction elements in human t cell recognition of the mycobacterium leprae 18-kd heat shock protein.	we have previously demonstrated that the mycobacterium leprae 18-kd heat shock protein (hsp18) is represented among the antigenic targets of human t cell responses induced by m. leprae immunization and that the peptide 38-50 serves as an immunodominant epitope recognized by cd4+ t cell clones. by using peripheral blood mononuclear cells and t cell lines from the same donor group, we have in this study shown that the m. leprae hsp18 and peptide 38-50 were recognized by memory t cells 8 years afte ...	2000	10759768
study of gene probes in childhood leprosy.	the objective was to detect nucleic acids of m. leprae in skin lesions of leprosy patients and study the effect of treatment on these nucleic acids, using r-rna gene probes, using a cross sectional study. the study was carried out at department of paediatrics, s.n. medical college, agra and department of microbiology, central jalma institute for leprosy, agra. the study included 32 cases of leprosy less than 16 years of age, divided into 3 groups viz. without treatment (12 cases), in middle of t ...	1998	10771952
evidence for human cd4+ t cells in the cd1-restricted repertoire: derivation of mycobacteria-reactive t cells from leprosy lesions.	both the cd4-cd8- (double negative) and cd4-cd8+ t cell lineages have been shown to contain t cells which recognize microbial lipid and glycolipid ags in the context of human cd1 molecules. to determine whether t cells expressing the cd4 coreceptor could recognize ag in the context of cd1, we derived cd4+ t cell lines from the lesions of leprosy patients. we identified three cd4+ mycobacterium leprae-reactive, cd1-restricted t cell lines: two cd1b restricted and one cd1c restricted. these t cell ...	2000	10779786
generalized annular borderline tuberculoid leprosy and update in management of hansen's disease.	we describe a patient with widespread borderline tuberculoid leprosy and significant peripheral nerve involvement. despite the presence of widespread lesions, fite stains and polymerase chain reaction studies were initially negative. we discuss the diagnosis and treatment of leprosy including recent changes in treatment regimens and duration.	2000	10795079
the crystal structure and active site location of isocitrate lyase from the fungus aspergillus nidulans.	isocitrate lyase catalyses the first committed step of the carbon-conserving glyoxylate bypass, the mg(2+)-dependent reversible cleavage of isocitrate into succinate and glyoxylate. this metabolic pathway is an inviting target for the control of a number of diseases, because the enzymes involved in this cycle have been identified in many pathogens including mycobacterium leprae and leishmania.	2000	10801489
drug resistance in leprosy: lessons from past and future perspective.	some recent studies indicate that the problem of drug resistance in leprosy is very much there but the exact picture is not clear. in the emerging scenario with increasing number of new cases with low bacterial load, the conventional in-vivo and most of current in-vitro methods for determination of drug resistance may not help. it is pointed out that newer molecular approaches may be more useful and that it will be important to undertake studies to develop such tools.	1999	10804973
community participation in case detection of leprosy in nagpur district of maharashtra.	involving special community groups for new case detection is of great importance for achieving the target of elimination of leprosy. during 1998-99, thirty village level mahila mandals (women's groups), 6950 teachers and students and 34,548 heads of families were co-opted to participate in case detection. they examined 56,113 persons including 378,959 school students and 184,940 family members. of the examined population, 275 were suspected to be cases of leprosy by mahila mandals, 411 by teache ...	1999	10804974
"outside project area" leprosy cases in 'a' ward of mumbai.	analysis of newly registered smear-positive cases in a ward of the metropolitan city of mumbai, which has a railway terminus during 1990-97 revealed that 72% of the patients came from outside the project area, most of them arising from the states of uttar pradesh, bihar and orissa. they had unstable and temporary residences in the area and were employed in low income hard labour jobs. nevertheless, it was found that their treatment completion rate was high. using different approaches, e.g. throu ...	1999	10804975
comparative leprosy vaccine trial in south india.		1999	10804976
survey of labour in "usana" rice factory, in bhandara district (maharashtra)		1999	10804977
genomes 2000. intimate portraits of bacterial nemeses.		2000	10809648
protection against virulent mycobacterium avium infection following dna vaccination with the 35-kilodalton antigen is accompanied by induction of gamma interferon-secreting cd4(+) t cells.	mycobacterium avium is an opportunistic pathogen that primarily infects immunocompromised individuals, although the frequency of m. avium infection is also increasing in the immunocompetent population. the antigen repertoire of m. avium varies from that of mycobacterium tuberculosis, with the immunodominant 35-kda protein being present in m. avium and mycobacterium leprae but not in members of the m. tuberculosis complex. here we show that a dna vector encoding this m. avium 35-kda antigen (dna- ...	2000	10816448
genomic arrangement of a putative operon involved in maltose transport in the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and mycobacterium leprae.	a mycobacterium bovis gene coding for a putative male maltose binding protein was cloned and its full-length sequence determined. database searches revealed 99.9% identity with ipqy, encoding a putative sugar uptake protein from mycobacterium tuberculosis strain h37rv. the deduced protein product showed high sequence similarity to male-like proteins from a variety of bacterial species, including mycobacterium leprae. analysis of flanking database sequences from m. tuberculosis and m. leprae reve ...	2000	10817516
dihydropteroate synthase of mycobacterium leprae and dapsone resistance.	two mycobacterium leprae genes, folp1 and folp2, encoding putative dihydropteroate synthases (dhps), were studied for enzymatic activity and for the presence of mutations associated with dapsone resistance. each gene was cloned and expressed in a folp knockout mutant of escherichia coli (c600deltafolp::km(r)). expression of m. leprae folp1 in c600deltafolp::km(r) conferred growth on a folate-deficient medium, and bacterial lysates exhibited dhps activity. this recombinant displayed a 256-fold-gr ...	2000	10817704
a 6 week quadruple drug regimen for the treatment of multibacillary leprosy.		2000	10820986
light and electron microscopic study of peripheral nerve damage in patients with lepromatous leprosy (ll) and borderline lepromatous leprosy (bl).	cutaneous branches of radial nerves in patients with lepromatous leprosy (ll) and borderline lepromatous (bl) were studied by light and electron microscopy. foamy macrophages were found more or less in the nerve fibers of all leprosy patients and distributed in the epineurial, perineurial and endoneurial areas. in the endoneurium, the foamy macrophages were mainly located in the subperineurial and perivascular spaces. vacuolated schwann cells were also found in the nerve fasciculus. in electron ...	2000	10824461
large unilamellar vesicles as trehalose-stabilised vehicles for vaccines: storage time and in vivo studies.	liposomes, as a pharmaceutical formulation must display a long shelf life. the recombinant heat-shock protein from mycobacterium leprae (18-kda hsp) or its n-acylated derivative, when entrapped within or externally associated with large unilamellar vesicles, acts as a t-epitope source. freeze-fracture electron microscopy shows unequivocally that trehalose avoids aggregation and fusion of these vesicles. formulations containing trehalose retained up to 98% of the entrapped protein. the highest an ...	2000	10825571
association of mycobacterium leprae with human endothelial cells in vitro.	endothelial cell infection by mycobacterium leprae has long been described histologically in all types of leprosy and in some of the acute reactions occurring in this disease. recent evidence from experimental lepromatous neuritis indicates that m. leprae colonizes endothelial cells of epineural blood vessels even in sites of minimal infection, suggesting that interaction between these cells and m. leprae may play an important role in the selective localization of this organism to peripheral ner ...	2000	10830776
inhibition of metabolism and growth of mycobacterium leprae by gamma irradiation.	mycobacterium leprae is uncultivable on artificial medium, but viability can be maintained without multiplication for a limited time in vitro. in this study, we evaluated gamma-irradiation (gamma-irr) as a means to kill this slowly growing organism. freshly harvested, viable, athymic, nu/nu mouse-derived m. leprae were exposed to varying doses of gamma-irr from a 60co source. two indicators of bacterial viability were determined: metabolism, measured by oxidation of 14c-palmitic acid to 14co2 in ...	2000	10834063
the effect of ultraviolet light radiation on mycobacterium leprae.	ultraviolet (uv) light is recognized as a potent sterilizing aid, but its relative effectiveness against mycobacterium leprae has not been shown. we examined the influence of uv on the growth and metabolic activity of m. leprae harvested fresh from foot pads of nude mice. temporary static suspensions were exposed to timed intervals of uv radiation generated from a fixed source to constitute dosages ranging from 0-12.64 x 10(4) erg/cm2. the metabolic activity of the bacilli was indexed by the oxi ...	2000	10834064
comparative study of mitsuda reaction to nude mouse and armadillo lepromin preparations using nine-banded armadillos.	in 14 nine-banded armadillos the mitsuda response to nude mouse-derived lepromin (lepromin-nu/nu) was compared to that of armadillo-derived lepromin (lepromin-a) by injecting the reagents intradermally into either side of the abdomen of the animal and examining the biopsies from the sites after 12 days. the histopathologic responses to both antigens were found to be similar, whether the animal was mitsuda-negative (lepromatous) or mitsuda-positive (tuberculoid). it is pointed out that armadillos ...	2000	10834065
pathology of a lepromatous eye.	histopathological examination of an enucleated eye from a lepromatous leprosy patient showed the cornea, ciliary body, and part of the choroid to be infiltrated by macrophages filled with mycobacterium leprae. the walls of blood vessels in the sclera, ciliary body and the anterior choroid demonstrated the presence of m. leprae, giving credence to the blood-borne entry of m. leprae into the eye. unlike the eyes of experimental animals infected with m. leprae, histopathological study of this eye f ...	2000	10834066
antileprosy protective vaccination of rhesus monkeys with bcg or bcg plus heat-killed mycobacterium leprae: immunologic observations.	groups of rhesus monkeys were vaccinated and boosted with mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette guerin (bcg) or bcg plus low-dose (ld) or high-dose (hd) heat-killed m. leprae (hkml), or were unvaccinated. prior to and following vaccination-boosting and subsequent m. leprae (ml) challenge, these and unvaccinated, unchallenged control monkeys were observed longitudinally for approximately 3 years. vaccination with bcg plus hkml initially stimulated significant in vitro blood mononuclear cell blast ...	2000	10834067
interferon-gamma responses to candidate leprosy skin-test reagents detect exposure to leprosy in an endemic population.	new tools for the detection of leprosy exposure in a community will be necessary for the eradication of leprosy. candidate leprosy skin-test antigens derived from the fractionation of the leprosy bacillus into cytoplasmic and cell-wall proteins free of immuno-inhibitory mycobacterial lipoglycans and carbohydrates were used in an overnight blood test to determine whether exposure to leprosy can be detected by the production of the cytokine interferon gamma (ifn-gamma). strong ifn-gamma responses ...	2000	10834068
human leukocyte antigens in forms of leprosy among japanese patients.	human leukocyte antigens (hla) class ii alleles were analyzed among japanese leprosy patients to ascertain whether immunogenetic differences exist among the leprosy classification forms of ridley and jopling. ninety-three unrelated japanese leprosy patients (21 lepromatous, 24 borderline lepromatous, 17 mid-borderline, 26 borderline tuberculoid, 5 tuberculoid) and 114 healthy control subjects were investigated. the frequencies of hla-drb11501, -drb50101, -dqa10102 and dqb10602 were significa ...	2000	10834069
epidemiology of leprosy in taiwan; its pattern in children.	to study the epidemiology of leprosy in children in taiwan.	2000	10834070
clarification to rada-schlaefli, et al.		2000	10834071
phagocytic myeloperoxidase in leprosy pathogenesis.		2000	10834075
cellular immune response to klebsiella pneumoniae antigens in patients with hla-b27+ ankylosing spondylitis.	to study the reactivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (as) and rheumatoid arthritis (ra) and healthy controls to klebsiella pneumoniae antigens and to the groel-like proteins from k. pneumoniae (hsp60kp) and mycobacterium leprae recombinant heat shock protein 65 (rhsp65ml).	2000	10852270
in vivo splicing and functional characterization of mycobacterium leprae reca.	the reca proteins from mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae contain inteins. in contrast to the m. tuberculosis reca, the m. leprae reca is not spliced in escherichia coli. we demonstrate here that m. leprae reca is functionally spliced in mycobacterium smegmatis and produces resistance toward dna-damaging agents and homologous recombination.	2000	10852894
comparative genomics of the leprosy and tubercle bacilli.	to achieve the quantum leap in understanding required to overcome two major human diseases, leprosy and tuberculosis, systematic and comparative genome analysis has been undertaken. new insight into the biology of their causative agents has been obtained and the principle findings are reported here.	2000	10865959
[dissertations about leprosy in the seville at the end of the enlightenment age].	introduction: leprosy is a well-known disease from ancient history. society reacts violently due to the fear of infection, and the fact that it causes appalling physical mutilation. it is produced by mycobacterium leprae, which only affects the nervous system of human beings. development: the norms and examinations that for many years were practiced upon those suspected of being infected by the leprosy organism are based almost always in a series of requirements that were in keeping with cases o ...	2000	10870206
leprosy.	leprosy is a unique infectious disease with a prolonged incubation period and a predilection for skin and nerves. the involvement of nerves by the primary infection as well as the immunologically mediated reversal reactions result in impairment of nerve function and severe disabilities. the introduction of the world health organization multi drug therapy over the last two decades has produced dramatic changes in the management and control programmes of leprosy. a recent important contribution to ...	2000	10871258
a role for cd40-cd40 ligand interactions in the generation of type 1 cytokine responses in human leprosy.	the interaction of cd40 ligand (cd40l) expressed by activated t cells with cd40 on macrophages has been shown to be a potent stimulus for the production of il-12, an obligate signal for generation of th1 cytokine responses. the expression and interaction of cd40 and cd40l were investigated in human infectious disease using leprosy as a model. cd40 and cd40l mrna and surface protein expression were predominant in skin lesions of resistant tuberculoid patients compared with the highly susceptible ...	2000	10903757
leprosy--a new look at an old disease.		2000	10906079
progression of eye disease in "cured" leprosy patients: implications for understanding the pathophysiology of ocular disease and for addressing eyecare needs.	ocular damage in leprosy is due either to nerve damage or infiltration by mycobacteria. there is currently little information about the magnitude and nature of incident ocular pathology in cured leprosy patients. this information would increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of ocular involvement in leprosy and help in developing programmes to address the eyecare needs of leprosy patients who have been released from treatment. the cumulative incidence of leprosy related ocular patholog ...	2000	10906083
characterization of derivatives of the high-molecular-mass penicillin-binding protein (pbp) 1 of mycobacterium leprae.	mycobacterium leprae has two high-molecular-mass multimodular penicillin-binding proteins (pbps) of class a, termed pbp1 and pbp1* [lepage, dubois, ghosh, joris, mahapatra, kundu, basu, chakrabarti, cole, nguyen-disteche and ghuysen (1997) j. bacteriol. 179, 4627-4630]. pbp1-xaa-beta-lactamase fusions generated periplasmic beta-lactamase activity when xaa (the amino acid of pbp1 at the fusion junction) was residue 314, 363, 407, 450 or 480. truncation of the n-terminal part of the protein up to ...	2000	10926828
mycobacterium leprae--millennium resistant! leprosy control on the threshold of a new era.	over the past decades, the conditions of leprosy control implementation have changed dramatically. introduction of multidrug therapy, together with the global effort of the world health organization to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem, had a tremendous impact on leprosy control, particularly by decreasing the registered prevalence of the disease. at the beginning of the new millennium, leprosy control programmes face several new challenges. these relate not only to changes in the pre ...	2000	10929137
search for newer antileprosy drugs.	in 1991 world health organization proclaimed the goal of global elimination of leprosy as a public health problem by year 2000 by implementing multidrug therapy (mdt). since then the prevalence rate has declined by 85%. however, during the same period the incidence rate of leprosy has remained constant or even has been increasing. this suggests that it will take a long time for the eradication of leprosy and that without in-vitro cultivation of m. leprae, eradication of leprosy is not likely to ...	2000	10935183
immunotherapy and immunoprophylaxis of leprosy.		2000	10935184
systemic involvement in leprosy and its significance.		2000	10935191
developments in experimental leprosy.		2000	10935192
novel mechanisms in the immunopathogenesis of leprosy nerve damage: the role of schwann cells, t cells and mycobacterium leprae.	the major complication of reversal (or type 1) reactions in leprosy is peripheral nerve damage. the pathogenesis of nerve damage remains largely unresolved. in situ analyses suggest an important role for type 1 t cells. mycobacterium leprae is known to have a remarkable tropism for schwann cells that surround peripheral axons. reversal reactions in leprosy are often accompanied by severe and irreversible nerve destruction and are associated with increased cellular immune reactivity against m. le ...	2000	10947859
role of inducible nitric oxide synthase in resistance to mycobacterium leprae in mice.	the manifestation of leprosy in humans is largely determined by host immunity to mycobacterium leprae and is a model for immunoregulation in a human disease. however, animal models available for exploration of the leprosy spectrum are inadequate. this study explored m. leprae infection in mice deficient in inducible nitric oxide synthase, and this report describes elements resembling borderline tuberculoid leprosy in humans.	2000	10948185
antiphospholipid antibodies in leprotic patients: a correlation with disease manifestations.	previous studies showed that antiphospholipid antibodies (apl) are frequent in the sera of leprosy patients and are most probably directed against body tissue cardiolipins. some groups have demonstrated differences between the binding specificity of "autoimmune-apl" and "non-autoimmune-apl". it is widely accepted that a plasma protein, beta 2-glycoprotein i (beta 2-gpi), is required for the binding of autoimmune anticardiolipin antibodies (acl) to cardiolipin. however, some reports suggested het ...	2000	10949725
differential in vitro modulation of schwann cell proliferation by mycobacterium leprae and macrophages in the murine strains, swiss white and c57bl/6.	the special susceptibility of schwann cells (scs) to parasitization by m. leprae and of macrophages to m. leprae-induced defects implicates them in leprous nerve pathogenesis. sc proliferation is an important prerequisite for peripheral nerve regeneration and is regulated by a number of secretory factors. several of these factors are secreted by scs themselves as well as by the macrophages which are recruited at the site of lesion to assist in regeneration. sc proliferation, as indicated by 3h-t ...	1998	10959251
functional interactions of mycobacterium leprae ruva with escherichia coli ruvb and ruvc on holliday junctions.	the mycobacterium leprae ruva homologue (mlruva) was over-expressed in escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. the dna-binding specificity and the functional interactions of mlruva with e. coli ruvb and ruvc (ecruvb and ecruvc) were examined using synthetic holliday junctions. mlruva bound specifically to holliday junctions and produced similar band-shift patterns as ecruva. moreover, mlruva formed functional dna helicase and branch-migration enzymes with ecruvb, although the heterologous ...	2000	10966790
neural leprosy--a case report.	neural leprosy is rare. this is a report of a 63-year-old indian man who had long standing multiple peripheral neuropathy. the slit skin smear for acid-fast bacilli of mycobacterium leprae was positive. the skin and nerve biopsies were normal. he was treated with rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine.	1998	10968151
identification of mycobacterium avium dna sequences that encode exported proteins by using phoa gene fusions.	mycobacterium avium is the major cause of disseminated infection in patients with late stage aids.objective: in order to identify m. avium genes that may be involved in bacterial uptake and intracellular survival, a phoa -based reporter system was used to identify genes that encoded surface-expressed or exported proteins.	2000	10970760
dendritic epidermal gamma/delta t cells (detc) activated in vivo proliferate in vitro in response to mycobacterium leprae antigens.	gamma/delta t-cell receptor (tcr)+ dendritic epidermal t cells (detc) are part of a primitive defense system in the skin; they are capable of responding only to a limited number of antigens. the aim of the present study was to test whether detc can proliferate in vitro in response to antigens of mycobacterium leprae.	2000	10971729
effect of peroxidase on the development of experimental leprosy in mice after intraplantar infection.	lyophilized horseradish peroxidase (activity 100 u/mg) administered per os in a dose of 100-200 mg/kg fodder enhanced bactericidal activity of phagocytes in mice experimentally infected with mycobacterium leprae, which manifested in suppression of m. leprae growth in comparison with untreated controls.	2000	10977959
[study on recombinant bcg to prevent infections of intracellular pathogens].	studies on recombinant bcg (rbcg) which my group carried out so far were reviewed. recombinant bcg which secreted alpha antigen-fused foreign antigen was constructed and tested for its ability to induce protective immunity. thus, rbcg secreting merozoite surface protein 1 (msp1) of plasmodium yoelii efficiently protected the infection more than recombinant msp 1 mixed with artificial adjuvant ras or ifa did. rbcg which secreted excess amounts of antigen 85 complex a inhibited the multiplication ...	2000	10979272
effect of treatment on pcr positivity in multibacillary leprosy patients treated with conventional and newer drugs ofloxacin and minocycline.	in order to develop objective criteria to monitor trends of therapeutic responses positivity of pcr signals and atp assay methods has been compared in multibacillary (mb) leprosy patients. biopsies from lesions of 95 bl/ll patients before and after one year of treatment with a new drug regimen comprising of conventional and newer drugs ofloxacin and minocycline have been studied. these biopsies were processed for bacillary atp assay and pcr positivity for a 36 kda gene target by earlier publishe ...	1999	10987049
detection of leprosy in ancient human skeletal remains by molecular identification of mycobacterium leprae.	we isolated ancient dna from skeletal remains obtained from a south german ossuary (approximately 1400-1800 ad) and from a 10th century hungarian cemetery partially indicating macromorphologic evidence of leprosy. in samples taken of 2 skulls from germany and of 1 hard palate from hungary, mycobacterium leprae-specific fragments of rlep1 and rlep3 were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (pcr), thereby confirming their specificity by sequencing. in another case, pcr with primers targeting ...	2000	10989644
bactericidal activities of hmr 3647, moxifloxacin, and rifapentine against mycobacterium leprae in mice.	bactericidal activities of hmr 3647 (hmr), moxifloxacin (mxfx), and rifapentine (rpt) against mycobacterium leprae, measured by the proportional bactericidal technique in the mouse footpad system, were compared with those of the established antileprosy drugs clarithromycin (clari), ofloxacin (oflo), and rifampin (rmp). administered in five daily doses of 100 mg/kg of body weight, hmr appeared slightly more bactericidal than clari. in a single dose, mxfx at 150 mg/kg was more active than the same ...	2000	10991891
a postgenomic approach to identification of mycobacterium leprae-specific peptides as t-cell reagents.	to identify mycobacterium leprae-specific human t-cell epitopes, which could be used to distinguish exposure to m. leprae from exposure to mycobacterium tuberculosis or to environmental mycobacteria or from immune responses following mycobacterium bovis bcg vaccination, 15-mer synthetic peptides were synthesized based on data from the m. leprae genome, each peptide containing three or more predicted hla-dr binding motifs. eighty-one peptides from 33 genes were tested for their ability to induce ...	2000	10992494
[study on recombinant bcg].	the progress of study on recombinant bcg was stated briefly. and then our studies on recombinant bcg were mentioned. recombinant bcg secreting alpha antigen-fused merozoite surface protein 1 (msp 1) was prepared and tested for its ability to control infections of plasmodium yoelii. result turned out it controlled the infection better than recombinant msp 1 mixed with freund incomplete adjuvant did. recombinant bcg secreting excess amounts of antigen 85 complex a controlled infection of mycobacte ...	2000	11004802
interleukin-18 (il-18) and infectious diseases, with special emphasis on diseases induced by intracellular pathogens.	interleukin-18 (il-18) is a novel cytokine mainly produced by activated macrophages. il-18 was originally called interferon-gamma inducing factor, due to its action in inducing ifn-gamma secretion from th1 cells, nk cells and nkt cells. it has been reported that il-18 may play important roles in various diseases including cancer and infectious diseases. this review deals with the roles of il-18 in infectious diseases, with special emphasis on il-18 in infectious diseases caused by intracellular ...	2000	11008115
m. leprae-hiv co-infection: pattern of immune response in vivo and in vitro.		2000	11008656
the source of infection: an unsolved issue.		2000	11008657
prospects for chemotherapy of leprosy.		2000	11008659
thioredoxin reductase as a pathophysiological factor and drug target.	human cytosolic thioredoxin reductase (trxr), a homodimeric protein containing 1 selenocysteine and 1 fad per subunit of 55 kda, catalyses the nadph-dependent reduction of thioredoxin disulfide and of numerous other oxidized cell constituents. as a general reducing enzyme with little substrate specificity, it also contributes to redox homeostasis and is involved in prevention, intervention and repair of damage caused by h2o2-based oxidative stress. being a selenite-reducing enzyme as well as a s ...	2000	11012663