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a systematic molecular analysis of the t cell-stimulating antigens from mycobacterium leprae with t cell clones of leprosy patients. identification of a novel m. leprae hsp 70 fragment by m. leprae-specific t cells.both protective immunity and immunopathology induced by mycobacteria are dependent on ag-specific, cd4+ mhc class ii-restricted t lymphocytes. the identification of ag recognized by t cells is fundamental to the understanding of protective and pathologic immunity as well as to the design of effective immunoprophylaxis and immunotherapy strategies. although some t cell clones are known to respond to recombinant mycobacterial heat shock proteins (hsp) like hsp3 65, the specificity of most t cells ...19911940353
mycobacterium leprae-induced interferon-gamma production by household contacts of leprosy patients: association with the development of active disease.identification of individuals at risk for developing leprosy and their early diagnosis are central to effective disease control. lack of immunologic response to mycobacterium leprae among persons exposed to the infectious agent may be predictive of susceptibility. m. leprae-induced interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was used as a measure of immune responsiveness. household contacts of multibacillary patients likely to be at risk of developing active dis ...19911940481
phenolic glycolipid-1 of mycobacterium leprae binds complement component c3 in serum and mediates phagocytosis by human monocytes.previous studies from this laboratory have demonstrated that mycobacterium leprae, an obligate intracellular bacterial parasite, enters human mononuclear phagocytes via complement receptors on these host cells and bacterium-bound c3. the present study investigates the role of m. leprae surface molecules in c3 fixation and phagocytosis. by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, c3 binds selectively to phenolic glycolipid-1 (pgl-1), a major surface molecule of the leprosy bacillus. c3 fixation to pgl- ...19911940785
nucleotide sequence of the gene coding for the 85-b antigen of mycobacterium leprae. 19911945858
[quinolones! or quinolones?]. 19911950438
ofloxacin for the treatment of leprosy.among the major commercially available fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin was inactive against m. leprae in mice; pefloxacin was active, 50 mg/kg daily showed bacteriostatic activity but 150 mg/kg daily displayed bactericidal activity; ofloxacin was more active than pefloxacin, 50 mg/kg daily exerted the same level of bactericidal effect as pefloxacin 150 mg/kg daily, and ofloxacin 150 mg/kg displayed profound killing activity. two clinical trials with 6 months of pefloxacin and/or ofloxacin in 31 ...19911950440
blastogenic response with autologous plasma and mitsuda's reaction in leprosy patients and their unaffected sibs.many investigators have evaluated the influence of genetic constitution on the susceptibility to leprosy in studies linked to different types of research. to determine the possible existence of a family trait linked to the lymphoproliferation and to lepromin reactivity we studied the blastogenic response to phytohaemagglutinin, lepromin and m. leprae and the mitsuda's reaction in leprosy patients and their unaffected sibs. sixty-eight individuals were studied, 34 were leprosy patients (17 leprom ...19911950443
[primary neural leprosy. report of a case].we present the clinical manifestations and morphological characteristics in a case from a patient with familial history of leprosy that presented peripheral neuropathy without cutaneous lesions. the nerves affected showed a loss of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers as well as chronic inflammatory infiltrate. the presence of hansen's bacillus was demonstrated in macrophages, schwann cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts at light and ultrastructural levels. in this case, the demonstration of ...19911958125
[the importance of the protein antigens of mycobacterium leprae. their potential use for the development of a vaccine against leprosy].the purpose of this review is to describe m. leprae antigenic structures that are considered relevant for the development of a vaccine. other biological elements presently utilized in vaccination and immune therapy against leprosy are also reviewed, and the possibility of having in the future an effective vaccine obtained at low cost through molecular biology recombinant techniques. this review also describes some epidemiological and control aspects of leprosy within the general framework of the ...19911959737
leprosy and the eye. 19901968581
symmetrical cutaneous lymphoma. 19901970395
specific killing of cytotoxic t cells and antigen-presenting cells by cd4+ cytotoxic t cell clones. a novel potentially immunoregulatory t-t cell interaction in man.mycobacterial antigens not only stimulate th cells that produce macrophage-activating factors, but also cd4+ and cd8+ ctl that lyse human macrophages. the mycobacterial recombinant 65-kd hsp was previously found to be an important target antigen for polyclonal cd4+ ctl. because of the major role of 65-kd hsp in the immune response to mycobacterial as well as autoantigens, we have studied ctl activity to this protein at the clonal level. hla-dr or hla-dq restricted, cd4+cd8- t cell clones that re ...19901972178
nucleotide sequence of mouse hsp60 (chaperonin, groel homolog) cdna.the cdna sequence of the 60 kda heat-shock protein from mouse 3t3 cells has been determined. the deduced amino acid sequence of mouse hsp60 protein differs from the corresponding proteins from chinese hamster and human cells in 7 and 13 residues, respectively, most of which are conservative replacements.19901979012
towards clinical and epidemiological application of advances in molecular biology of mycobacterium leprae. 19901979449
geographically distinct isolates of mycobacterium leprae exhibit no genotypic diversity by restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis.differentiation of microorganisms for taxonomic purposes is based primarily on phenotypic characteristics, which are the direct or cumulative result of gene expression. since expression of phenotypic characteristics usually relies on in vitro growth of a microorganism, non-cultivable organisms, such as mycobacterium leprae, present major problems for the identification of potential variants based on phenotypic similarities or differences between individual isolates. we have employed the use of r ...19901981802
renal brushborder membrane vesicle. study of marker enzymes and uptake of nutrients in mycobacterium leprae infected mice.the renal brush border membrane vesicles (bbmv) were used to elucidate the early biochemical functional status during the course of experimental m. leprae infection in mice. the activities of the characteristic brush-border enzymes viz: alkaline phosphatase, leucine amino peptidase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were found to be significantly decreased (p less than 0.001) at 3 and 6 months after infection. the transport of nutrients viz: d-glucose, l-alanine, l-lysine and l-aspartate across b ...19901981918
reactional states in hansen's disease: practical aspects of emergency management.hansen's disease (leprosy), though not a common condition in the united states, can be found in some localities among patients who come to the emergency room for treatment. hansen's disease (hd) is a chronic systemic infectious granulomatous disease involving principally the skin, mucosa, nerves, and eyes. the causative organism, mycobacterium leprae, is neither highly contagious nor aggressive, but rapid alterations in the immunologic response to m leprae in affected tissues can result in acute ...19911990459
recombinant fusion protein identified by lepromatous sera mimics native mycobacterium leprae in t-cell responses across the leprosy spectrum.pooled polyvalent sera from lepromatous leprosy patients were used to screen a lambda gt11 recombinant dna expression library of mycobacterium leprae in order to identify the relevant antigens recognized by the human immune response. of the 300,000 phages screened, 4 clones were identified that coded for fusion proteins of the same molecular mass. the fusion protein from clone lsr2 was tested for immunoreactivity in assays using peripheral blood cells and sera from 11 laboratory personnel and 10 ...19911992456
urinary phenolic glycolipid 1 in the diagnosis and management of leprosy.a simplified assay to measure the phenolic glycolipid 1 (pgl-1) of mycobacterium leprae in the urine was applied to the diagnosis of leprosy and the monitoring of antileprosy chemotherapy. one hundred seventy-nine previously untreated patients and 25 normal controls were tested. the specificity of the assay was 100%. there were no false-positive results. the sensitivity of the assay varied with the type of leprosy from 92% for lepromatous leprosy to 56% for borderline lepromatous and 18% for bor ...19911995739
the systemic influence of recombinant interleukin 2 on the manifestations of lepromatous leprosy.14 patients with lepromatous leprosy received twice daily injections of 10 micrograms recombinant interleukin 2 (ril-2), by the intradermal route, in the skin of the back for 8 d (total dose, 160 micrograms). lymphokine administration was accomplished without drug toxicity, or the development of acute nerve damage. the majority of patients developed nontender axillary lymphadenopathy during the course of treatment. local injection sites showed progressively larger zones of induration, peaking at ...19912007862
complete nucleotide sequence of the mycobacterium leprae 23 s and 5 s rrna genes plus flanking regions and their potential in designing diagnostic oligonucleotide probes.the complete nucleotide sequences of the mycobacterium leprae 23 s and 5 s rrna genes and their flanking regions are presented. as compared to other eubacterial homologous molecules the 23 s rdna exhibits two insertions. a 16 nucleotide long insertion is almost unique to members of the genus mycobacterium, while the second represents an extended version of helix 54. the potential of both insertions to serve as target for diagnostic oligonucleotide probes was proven by comparative sequence analys ...19912015881
a monoclonal antibody to the mycobacterial 65 kda heat shock protein (ml 30) binds to cells in normal and arthritic joints of rats.a monoclonal antibody reactive with the mycobacterial 65 kda heat shock protein (ml 30) was investigated for reactivity with biopsies from normal rat joints and with inflamed joints due to adjuvant arthritis (aa) or collagen induced arthritis (cia). immunohistochemical stainings with the anti-hsp 65 antibody on paraffin sections from normal rat joints revealed a weak but exclusive staining of cells within the synovial lining. also normal chondrocytes and bone marrow cells showed occasional stain ...19912017657
detection of phenolic glycolipid-i antigen and antibody in sera from new and relapsed lepromatous patients treated with various drug regimens.since phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) is an unequivocal marker of mycobacterium leprae, the antigen has been a good candidate for the serodiagnosis and monitoring the effectiveness of leprosy chemotherapy. as an effort to define the kinetics of the pgl-i antigen and its antibodies in leprosy patients, this study was initiated to examine the serum specimens obtained serially from lepromatous patients under chemotherapy trials. pgl-i was detectable in 64 (94.1%) of 68 new lepromatous (bacterial inde ...19912030314
on the value of sequential serology with a mycobacterium leprae-specific antibody competition elisa in monitoring leprosy chemotherapy.the mycobacterium leprae-specific antibody assays--a serum antibody competition test (sact-elisa) for the epitope on the 35-kda protein, and an enzyme immunoassay for the disaccharide epitope of phenolic glycolipid-i (pgds-elisa)--were evaluated as tools for the serological monitoring of chemotherapy in 20 lepromatous and 6 tuberculoid leprosy patients. in addition to estimates for m. leprae-specific antibodies, assessments of the bacterial index (bi) and clinical activity of the disease were al ...19912030315
rifampin in drug-incorporated diet: effect of duration and temperature of storage. relevance to drug-susceptibility testing in mice inoculated with m. leprae.this paper is in two parts. plasma concentrations of rifampin were assayed at 11 time points in 24 hr in mice fed one of three dosages of rifampin, either by gavage or by dietary incorporation. the drug-mixed diets had been stored for a maximum of 3 weeks at 4 degrees c or at room temperature (30 degrees c-35 degrees c). the peak concentration of rifampin produced by gavage was approximately 11/2 times higher than the maximum plasma concentration of the corresponding dosage in fresh diet. plasma ...19912030317
inter- and intra-laboratory variation in the reporting of skin smears in leprosy.this paper defines the variations in the reporting of skin smears between a base and field laboratory in a leprosy control program. ten percent of all slides read by the field laboratory in a control area were re-read by the base laboratory. there was almost no variation in the reporting of negative slides, but a variation of 1 + was present in approximately 92% of positive slides. thus, there was agreement in approximately 8% of positive slides. this paper also defines the variations in the rep ...19912030318
the chemotherapy of leprosy. part 2. 19912030319
transmission of viable mycobacterium leprae by aedes aegypti from lepromatous leprosy patients to the skin of mice through interrupted feeding.female aedes aegypti which took partial blood meals from the skin lesions of untreated lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients were then allowed to continue feeding on 72-96-hr-old swiss albino suckling mice (rockefeller strain). the bitten portion of skin was removed, divided into two parts and processed for the extraction of bacilli by two different methods using chloroform and petroleum ether. the proboscis of some of the fed mosquitoes was dissected out and examined for viable bacilli (stained by ...19912034021
the activity of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid against mycobacterium leprae in mice.the activity of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid against logarithmically multiplying mycobacterium leprae was evaluated by treating mice by gavage five times weekly with various amounts of the compound from day 60 to day 150 after footpad infection. at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, it was inactive; at 200-600 mg/kg, multiplication of m. leprae was entirely prevented for 6-11 months after drug discontinuation, consistent with observations of bactericidal activity for m. leprae. in a confirmatory study i ...19912037803
naturally acquired and experimental leprosy in nonhuman primates.naturally-acquired leprosy has been observed in chimpanzees and sooty mangabey monkeys. experimental multibacillary leprosy was established in 24 of 36 mangabey monkeys, 7 of 34 rhesus monkeys, and 15 of 19 african green monkeys following intravenous and intradermal inoculation of mycobacterium leprae. the experimental disease strongly resembles leprosy in humans clinically, histopathologically, and immunologically. thus, in addition to nine-banded armadillos in louisiana and texas, chimpanzees ...19912042709
antigens of mycobacterium leprae in the cerebrospinal fluid of leprosy patients: detection by monoclonal-antibody-based sandwich immunoradiometric assay and avidin/biotin immunoblotting.mycobacterium leprae antigens could be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) of patients with leprosy, using a monoclonal-antibody-based sandwich immunoradiometric assay (sirma). antigens of 12 kd, 35 kd and 30-40 kd were detected using ml06, ml04, and ml34 monoclonal antibodies, respectively. the 30-40-kd polysaccharide antigen, although present in larger amounts in m. leprae than the 12-kd and 35-kd protein antigens, was found in the csf of comparatively fewer subjects. the antigen capture ...19912044232
expression of a common idiotype pr4 in the sera of patients with leprosy.the sera of 187 patients from across the leprosy spectrum were screened for the expression of the pr4 idiotype, which was first identified on a human hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibody from a patient with leprosy and found to react with the mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid and a variety of polynucleotides. sixty per cent (51 out of 85) of patients with lepromatous leprosy (ll), 66% (33 out of 49) with borderline lepromatous (bl) disease, 47% (14 out of 30) with borderline tuberculoid ...19912044233
the role of ril-2 in the modulation of cellular immunity in resistance to infection. 19912049043
seasonal and spatial trends in the detectability of leprosy in wild armadillos.a survey for leprosy among 565 armadillos from louisiana and texas found igm antibodies to the phenolic glycolipid-1 antigen of mycobacterium leprae in 16% of the animals. there were no geographic trends in the distribution of prevalence rates between the sites and the disease probably has a much greater range. repeat observations in one location showed significant seasonal variations in the observable antibody prevalence rate, but the yearly average remained similar. infected armadillos tended ...19912050208
sequence and immunogenicity of the 70-kda heat shock protein of mycobacterium leprae.the gene encoding the mycobacterium leprae 70-kda heat shock protein has been isolated from a cosmid library using a fragment of the clone jkl2. southern blot analysis of a positive clone identified a 4.4-kb fragment containing the entire coding region of the gene plus 2.4 kb upstream. sequencing revealed the gene to encode a 621-amino acid protein, bearing 56% identity with the escherichia coli dnak gene product and 47% and 46% identity with the human and caenorhabditis elegans hsp70, respectiv ...19912051024
[serological diagnosis of leprosy]. 19912052109
insertional mutagenesis and illegitimate recombination in mycobacteria.mycobacteria, particularly mycobacterium tuberculosis, mycobacterium leprae, and mycobacterium avium, are major pathogens of man. although insertional mutagenesis has been an invaluable genetic tool for analyzing the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis, it has not yet been possible to apply it to the mycobacteria. to overcome intrinsic difficulties in directly manipulating the genetics of slow-growing mycobacteria, including m. tuberculosis and bacille calmette-guérin (bcg) vaccine strains, we ...19912052623
leprosy and cell-mediated immunity.the intradermal injection of the purified protein derivative of tuberculin into lepromatous leprosy patients leads to a local cell-mediated immune response and to the extensive destruction of mycobacterium leprae. this local response also occurs after intradermal injection of recombinant human interleukin-2; when administered over an 8-day period interleukin-2 evokes a systemic cell-mediated immune response and a reduction in the bacillary burden.19912054116
application of a polymerase chain reaction for the detection of mycobacterium leprae in skin tissues.the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) based on the selective amplification of a 530-bp fragment of the gene encoding the proline-rich antigen of mycobacterium leprae was applied on sections of fixed or frozen biopsy samples from leprosy patients. a simple procedure for the extraction of dna from m. leprae in clinical specimens that provided suitable template dna for amplification was developed. when pcr was applied on frozen sections, positive amplification in samples from all untreated acid-fast ...19912056057
a case of relapse with drug-susceptible m. leprae after multidrug therapy.a male born in 1930 was diagnosed as smear-positive borderline leprosy in 1971, and was treated with dapsone and/or sulfamethoxypyridazine from 1972 to 1980 with clinical improvement. however, new skin lesions with smears strongly positive appeared in august 1980, and he was diagnosed as having downgraded to lepromatous (ll) leprosy, but the bacilli recovered from the skin biopsy were fully susceptible to both dapsone and rifampin by mouse foot pad technique. between 1981 and 1983, the patient w ...19912071981
clinical and bacteriological progress of highly bacillated bl-ll patients discontinuing treatment after different periods of mdt.highly bacillated lepromatous patients (bl/ll) with an initial bacterial index (bi) of 4 to 6+ are being treated with a modified world health organization-recommended multiple-drug therapy (who/mdt) regimen consisting of rifampin 600 mg once a month, clofazimine 100 mg on alternate days, and dapsone 100 mg daily. the clinical and bacteriological profiles of the patients who had discontinued treatment at different durations have been compared with patients who took the same treatment until attain ...19912071982
determination of in vivo and in vitro drug effects of mycobacteria from the mass spectrometric analysis of single organisms.laser microprobe mass analysis of single bacterial organisms allows the determination of their intrabacterial ratio of sodium-to-potassium ions and the registration of fragment ions originating from their organic bacterial cell matrices as mass fingerprint spectra. it has been established previously that the intrabacterial cation ratio provides information on the physiological state of an individual bacterial cell. in the present experiments it is also shown, with different cultivable mycobacter ...19912071984
differential handling of bacterial antigens in macrophages infected with mycobacterium leprae as studied by immunogold labeling of ultrathin sections.mycobacterium leprae were purified from the livers of experimentally infected armadillos, and the purity of the bacterial preparation was established by electron microscopy, immunoelectrophoresis of purified bacilli with rabbit serum raised against liver tissues from a noninfected armadillo, and gas chromatography. such purified and intact bacilli were fixed and embedded by a gelatin-lowicryl method for electron microscopy which preserved the mycobacterial antigens. ultrathin sections were label ...19912071985
allocation of patients to paucibacillary or multibacillary drug regimens for the treatment of leprosy--a comparison of methods based mainly on skin smears as opposed to clinical methods--alternative clinical methods for classification of patients.this paper reports on the experience with classification of patients at the all-africa leprosy and rehabilitation training centre (alert) in the shoa province in ethiopia. classification on clinical grounds is compared with classification which is primarily based on the result of skin-smear examinations. in addition, possible alternative clinical methods for the allocation of patients to the multidrug therapy (mdt) regimens are discussed. the analysis includes 1525 new patients. in 730 patients ...19912071986
cogitations on the cultivation of mycobacterium leprae; why bother? 19912071987
polymerase chain reaction and leprosy. 19912071988
reactions to antigens from actinomycetes including mycobacterium leprae in leprosy patients. 19912071990
quantitative relationship between anti-pgl-i-specific antibody levels and the lepromin reaction. 19912071994
a family of dispersed repeats in mycobacterium leprae.the genome of the causative agent of leprosy, mycobacterium leprae, contains at least 28 copies of a dispersed repetitive sequence, rlep. from nucleotide sequence analysis it was clear that the rlep element consists of a 545 bp central domain flanked by a 100 bp left-end and a 44 bp right-end, sometimes associated with a 47 bp extension. the presence of the left and right ends is variable and this allowed three different rlep configurations to be defined. when the polymerase chain reaction was u ...19902077358
interleukin-1 beta production by monocytes from leprosy patients.the cause responsible for the lack of an efficient cell-mediated immunity or a delayed type hypersensitivity to m. leprae in lepromatous patients is poorly understood. but the resistance to m. leprae infection in humans is likely mediated by the activated macrophages to present m. leprae antigen to t cells for cell-mediated immunity. phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) is a m. leprae-specific antigen and is supposed to play a significant role in the long lasting unresponsiveness in lepromatous leprosy ...19902077754
therapeutic regimens in leprosy.insight into the bacteriology, general pathology, pharmacology of the treatment of leprosy has increased most significantly during the last 30 years, through numerous studies, starting with the demonstration by shepard, of the multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in the mouse foot pad. our studies showed that the treatment of the disease can be considerably shortened. the introduction of more drugs, highly bactericidal for m. leprae, provided toxicity and antagonism do not constitute a problem ...19902077778
will the real m. leprae stand up? 19902082994
anti-arabinogalactan igm/igg ratio: a screening index for leprosy patients.the serological activities of arabinogalactan from m. smegmatis and phenolic glycolipid-1 from m. leprae were examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using sera from 88 patients with leprosy (44 treated and 44 untreated) and 45 normal healthy individuals. both igm and igg type of antibodies were measured against these antigens. the results confirmed the previous observation that anti phenolic-glycolipid-1 igm antibodies are higher in lepromatous leprosy cases than in normal individuals. ho ...19902086678
multidrug therapy (mdt) and leprosy control. 19902086680
dapsone, folate synthesis and m. leprae. 19902086681
adenosine deaminase activity in leprosy.adenosine deaminase (ada) activity was studied in serum and peripheral blood lymphocytes of leprosy patients and healthy controls. serum ada levels were found to be elevated in tuberculoid as well as lepromatous cases compared to control subjects. serum ada activity was significantly higher in tuberculoid cases than in the lepromatous group. lymphocyte adenosine deaminase activity showed a similar trend. these results suggest that, since the overall activity of the enzyme is not deficient in lep ...19902086683
observations on nerve tissue infected with m. leprae.nerve tissue from leprosy patients showed (i) small linear pinkish translucent crystalloid bodies, (ii) small round structures in relation to filamentous strands, (iii) short pieces of filaments with round spaces within them and (iv) miscellaneous structures like pink granules, brown bodies and dark masses. these structures are being studied for their relationship to leprosy.19902086687
igm immunoglobulins reacting with the phenolic glycolipid-1 antigen from mycobacterium leprae in sera of leprosy patients and their contacts.for the first time in brazil it was investigated the occurrence of igm anti-pgl-1 in the sera of household contacts of leprosy patients using the elisa methodology. the sera of the multibacillary patients showed significantly more immuno-reactivity than from the paucibacillary patients. it was observed a high subclinical infection incidence among household contacts (19.4%). the percentage of leprosy development was 5% (1/21) among the seropositive contact group. this finding suggests that serolo ...19902087157
elisa & lepromin skin tests in household contacts of leprosy patients.a total of 438 household contacts of leprosy patients and 228 non-contacts were studied for anti-pgl-i antibodies and cell mediated immune response to mycobacterium leprae using elisa and lepromin tests. the contacts showed relatively higher positivity to elisa (29.4%) and lepromin (70.5%) as compared to non-contacts who showed 9.6 and 57 per cent positivity. in contacts as well as non-contacts the seropositivity was not found to be influenced by age and sex. however, seropositivity was higher ( ...19902091988
protein antigens of mycobacterium leprae.protein antigens of mycobacterium leprae have been identified by screening the lambda gt11, pya626 and phc79::m. leprae genomic libraries with pooled sera from leprosy patients and with antiserum to m. leprae cell wall protein (cwp) aggregate. immunological screening of the lambda gt11 library with pooled sera from 21 lepromatous (ll) leprosy patients resulted in the identification of 19 antigens that are apparently different from previously identified m. leprae antigens. five additional antigen ...19902101476
recombinant bcg as a candidate oral vaccine vector.bacille calmette-guerin (bcg), currently the most widely used vaccine in the world, was originally administered for many years as an oral vaccine. the low frequency of serious complications, inexpensive production, and adjuvanticity make bcg an ideal candidate for a recombinant vaccine vehicle. although mycobacteria are slow growing and not yet well characterized genetically, we have recently developed technology for the genetic manipulation of bcg and other mycobacteria. phage and plasmid syste ...19902101484
a mycobacterial 65-kd heat shock protein induces antigen-specific suppression of adjuvant arthritis, but is not itself arthritogenic.a recombinant (r)65-kd protein from mycobacterium leprae, at levels far in excess of those present in whole mycobacteria, was unable to induce arthritis. even when combined with a synthetic adjuvant, cp20961, to mimic the peptidoglycan adjuvant component of the mycobacterial cell wall, the r65-kd protein failed to induce arthritis. pretreatment with as little as 1 microgram r65-kd protein protected rats against arthritis induced by m. tuberculosis, but this r65-kd protein was markedly less able ...19902104920
quantitative and qualitative studies on the major extracellular antigen of mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv and mycobacterium bovis bcg.the mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen 85 is a biologically important antigen. tuberculosis patients may have strong antibodies against it, and their peripheral blood mononuclear cells respond to it with gamma-interferon production and lymphocyte proliferation. antigen 85 is actively secreted into the culture medium during culture in vitro and is known to bind human fibronectin. a double-antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for quantification of antigen 85 is described. a mouse mon ...19902109556
evidence for the presence of a phosphatidylinositol anchor on the lipoarabinomannan and lipomannan of mycobacterium tuberculosis.the recent availability (hunter, s.w., gaylord, h., and brennan, p.j. (1986) j. biol. chem. 261, 12345-12351) of the well known arabinomannan of mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis as the pure native lipoarabinomannan has resulted in its implication in key aspects of the immunopathogenesis of leprosy and tuberculosis. we had indicated that the lipid moiety of lipoarabinomannan is probably based on a diacylglycerol unit in that glycerol and the two fatty acids, hexadecanoate and 1 ...19902111816
the spectrum of tuberculosis and leprosy: what can be the significance of specific humoral responses? 19902111921
an ordinary mortal's guide to the molecular biology of mycobacteria. 19902115905
[detection of serum antibody against lipoarabinomannan-b in mycobacterium tuberculosis (h37ra)].the serum antibody to lipoarabinomannan-b(lam-b) purified from mycobacterium tuberculosis (h37ra) was tested by elisa in 250 sera, including sera from patients as follows: tuberculosis 96, tubercular pleurisy 11, renal tuberculosis 2, bone and joint tuberculosis 33, tubercular meningitis 16, pulmonary cancer 22, leprosy 20 and normal subjects 50. the positive rate of pulmonary tuberculosis is 69.8%, which is of a similar extent in sera from patients with tuberculosis of miscellaneous organs to b ...19902116239
nucleotide sequence of htpb, the legionella pneumophila gene encoding the 58-kilodalton (kda) common antigen, formerly designated the 60-kda common antigen.gene htpb, which encodes the 58-kilodalton protein of legionella pneumophila, was cloned in escherichia coli and its complete nucleotide sequence was determined. analysis of this sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1,644 nucleotides encoding a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 57,952 daltons. data obtained by amino-terminal sequencing of the purified 58-kilodalton protein agreed, except for one amino acid residue, with the predicted amino acid sequence, identifying this open read ...19902117582
isolation and characterization of an environmental acid-fast organism producing diphenoloxidase activity in vivo.water and soil samples were collected from natural habitats of the nine-banded armadillo and tested for the presence of acid-fast organisms by injection into the foot pads of experimental mice. sixteen months post inoculation an acid-fast organism was isolated from the foot pad and spleen of one of the mice. the isolate exhibited diphenoloxidase activity as determined by its ability to convert d-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine to the corresponding quinone. the same organisms grown in vitro lacked det ...19902118868
igg and igm antibodies immunoreacting with a 2,3-diacyl trehalose-2'-sulphate in sera from leprosy patients.the distribution of igg and igm antibodies immunoreacting with the sulpholipid i (sli) and sulpholipid iv (sliv) of mycobacterium tuberculosis was examined in sera from leprosy patients. it was found that the immunological reactions correlated with the clinical spectrum of leprosy; and in multibacillary patients, antibody titres declined in response to successful treatment. the serological patterns were similar to the pgl i patterns, however, the igg responses towards the sulpholipids were predo ...19902119181
report of the indo-european community joint symposium "leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases," lonavla, india, 6-9 november 1989. 19902119411
expression of mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae proteins by vaccinia virus.eight mycobacterium tuberculosis and m. leprae genes were inserted into the vaccinia virus genome by in vivo recombination. the resulting virus recombinants were shown to express five different m. tuberculosis proteins (71, 65, 35, 19, and 12 kda) and three m. leprae proteins (65 and 18 kda and a biotin-binding protein) by western immunoblot analysis, radioimmunoprecipitation, or black-plaque assay. when injected into balb/c mice, the recombinants expressing the m. tuberculosis 71-, 65-, or 35-k ...19902123833
assay of diphenoloxidase--difficulties and how to avoid them. 19902124591
effect of simultaneous administration of interferon-gamma and chemotherapy against mycobacterium leprae in experimental infection in nude mice.the possibility of synergy between immunotherapy with recombinant interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) and chemotherapy with rifampin (rmp) and dapsone (dds) against mycobacterium leprae was examined in nude mice. ifn-gamma alone failed to show any effect on the growth of m. leprae in the nude mouse foot pad. no synergy was demonstrable between dds, either at 0.0001% or at 0.001%, and ifn-gamma. a subinhibitory level of rmp with ifn-gamma was also ineffective, but rmp at 0.006% with ifn-gamma produced a ...19902126271
gamma interferon in experimental leprosy.we have shown that preactivated macs are able to cope with newly acquired leprosy bacilli, and a high intracellular burden of live m. leprae induces a refractory response of the host mac to activation by ifn-gamma. our studies underscore the fact that mac function in ll is dependent on localized conditions, influenced by the high intracellular burden of leprosy bacilli and, in part, involving the production of prostanoids. these findings preclude inferences about the function of granuloma mac s ...19902126499
[the detection of igm antibodies to phenolglycolipid i for serodiagnosis of hansen's disease and monitoring the contact population in polynesia. five year evaluation].this study was conducted to assess the usefulness of igm anti-pgli antibody test, for the diagnosis of leprosy and of the subclinical infection among contact population. even if the specificity (97.7%), sensitivity (98% for the multibacillary, but 36% for the paucibacillary) and efficiency (97.7%) of the test for the diagnosis of patients are good, its positive predictive value which is the proportion of true patients among the seropositive subjects detected in the population was very low (1.17% ...19902128225
immunity to mycobacteria. 19902129290
[acid-fast bacilli isolated from foot pads of nude mice infected with leprosy bacilli].when leprosy bacilli grown in nude mouse foot pad were used for culture experiments, cultivable acid-fast bacillus was sometimes isolated as a contaminant. whenever bacilli were inoculated to nude mice, the same leprosy bacilli were killed by autoclaving and were inoculated in to foot pads of 5 nude mice for examination of this cause of the contamination. acid-fast bacillus was cultivated on 3% ogawa egg medium at 33 degrees c from homogenates of foot pads of nude mice infected with m. leprae af ...19902133033
immuno-epidemiological studies on subclinical infection in leprosy. i. clinical and immunological findings in schoolchildren and adults in okinawa.for the purpose of understanding subclinical infection with mycobacterium leprae among the inhabitants in an endemic area, 3,547 schoolchildren and 1,487 adults in several regions of okinawa were surveyed by using clinical examinations and immunological tests, i.e. the fluorescent leprosy antibody absorption (fla-abs) test and the lepromin test using dharmendra's antigen, during a period from 1978 to 1984. the enlargement of peripheral nerves, especially that of lateral or bilateral auricular an ...19902133035
[animal transmission of mycobacterium leprae--experimental leprosy]. 19902133036
genetic control of delayed type hypersensitivity to mycobacterium leprae antigen.the mechanism of genetic control of mycobacterium leprae-specific delayed type hypersensitivity (dth) in mice was investigated in terms of footpad swelling response. studies with various congenic and recombinant inbred strains of mouse revealed that m. leprae-specific dth was controlled by genes within the i-a subregion. the footpad swelling response showed an antigen-specific pattern, revealing that m. leprae antigen was not cross-reactive with m. tuberculosis antigen. treatment of immune lymph ...19902133466
dead mycobacterium leprae inhibits phagocytosis by inflammatory macrophages in vivo. participation of the bacteria cell lipids in the phenomenon. 19902134717
phagocytosis of leprosy bacilli is mediated by complement receptors cr1 and cr3 on human monocytes and complement component c3 in serum.mycobacterium leprae, an obligate intracellular pathogen, invades and multiplies within host mononuclear phagocytes. to understand m. leprae invasion better, we have investigated the role of phagocyte receptors and bacterium-bound ligands in phagocytosis of m. leprae by human monocytes. complement receptors cr1 and cr3 mediate adherence and phagocytosis of m. leprae in nonimmune serum. two mabs used in combination against cr3 inhibit adherence by up to 90 +/- 3%. two mabs used in combination aga ...19902138634
inhibition of interferon-gamma-mediated activation in mouse macrophages treated with lipoarabinomannan.lipoarabinomannan (lam), purified from the cell walls of mycobacterium leprae and m. tuberculosis, is a potent inhibitor of interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) mediated activation of macrophages. the capability of lam to inhibit ifn-gamma activation of macrophages in vitro was dose dependent and required a 24-h pre-exposure. defective activation was evident as a block in ifn-gamma-induced cytocidal activity for tumour cell targets and microbicidal capacity for intracellular toxoplasma gondii. additiona ...19902138940
hla-linked immune suppression genes.genetic control of immune response was investigated by family and population analyses in humans. it was first recognized that there are high responders and low or non responders to natural antigens in human population. family analysis revealed that low responsiveness to streptococcal cell wall antigen (scw) was inherited as an hla-linked dominant trait. cd8+ suppressor t cells existed in low responders and depletion of the cd8+ t cells from low responders could restore the strong immune response ...19902142511
acid-fast bacilli found in sphagnum vegetation of coastal norway containing mycobacterium leprae-specific phenolic glycolipid-i.in the grey layer of sphagnum vegetation originating from former leprosy-endemic regions of coastal norway, acid-fast bacilli (afb) containing mycobacterium leprae-specific phenolic glycolipid i (pgl-i) on the surface have been found. these afb survived in foot pads of nude mice with multiplication but without swelling. this contrasts to experimental leprosy with clinically derived m. leprae where swelling and unlimited multiplication takes place. the naturally occurring afb may be of a lower pa ...19902142948
target cell lysis and il-2 secretion by gamma/delta t lymphocytes after activation with bacteria.peripheral blood t lymphocytes from healthy donors were stimulated with mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro and afterward analyzed phenotypically. marked expansion of the gamma/delta t cell population (3- to 21-fold) was observed in 15/21 donors 7 to 10 days after stimulation. in addition to m. tuberculosis, mycobacterium leprae (six of eight) as well as the gram-positive bacteria, staphylococcus aureus (two of six), group a streptococci (seven of nine), and listeria monocytogenes (four of eight ...19902145360
gene replacement and expression of foreign dna in mycobacteria.a system that permits molecular genetic manipulation of mycobacteria was developed on the basis of the yeast paradigm of gene replacement by homologous recombination. a shuttle vector that can replicate autonomously at a high copy number in escherichia coli but must integrate into homologous dna for survival in mycobacterium smegmatis was constructed. the vector contains a cole1 origin of replication, antibiotic resistance markers for ampicillin and kanamycin, a nutritional marker (pyrf) that al ...19902153655
a complex component modulating immune-deficient cells in leprosy patients leading to loss of viability of mycobacterium leprae--a possible vaccine.macrophages from peripheral blood of leprosy patients, both multi-bacillary and paucibacillary are unable to kill phagocytosed mycobacterium leprae due to their inability to produce superoxide (o2-) and hydroxyl radicals (oh.). the macrophages from healthy individuals are able to kill m. leprae along with release of o2- and oh. radicals. the deficiency in the macrophages of both types of leprosy patients is removed by activation of these cells when exposed to a culture supernatant obtained after ...19902154348
human suppressor t cell clones lack cd28.previously we showed that certain t cell lines and clones from a lepromatous leprosy patient displayed a dose-dependent suppression of the proliferation of autologous t cells to mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) but not mitogen or an unrelated antigen. the latter cells were also cloned and did not display this suppressive activity, were cd4+ and proliferated vigorously to m. leprae presented by autologous hla-dr molecules. we shall refer to these cells as t helper (th) cells. most of the suppress ...19902164478
effect of mycobacterium leprae's phenolic glycolipid-i on interferon-gamma augmentation of monocyte oxidative responses.peripheral blood monocytes were pretreated with phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i), dimycocerosyl phthiocerol (dim), or mycoside a, then cultured in the presence or absence of interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma). their oxidative responses to mycobacterium leprae, phorbol myristate acetate (pma), and opsonized zymosan were evaluated. in response to m. leprae, monocytes pretreated with pgl-i released less o2- than nonlipid-treated control cells. the ifn-gamma augmentation of oxidative responses was suppressed ...19902165510
pathology of dual mycobacterium leprae and simian immunodeficiency virus infection in rhesus monkeys.three rhesus monkeys were experimentally inoculated with sooty-mangabey-derived mycobacterium leprae and were inadvertently infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus (siv) as well. they died of an immunodeficiency syndrome, and at autopsy all had lesions caused by m. leprae. one monkey was inoculated twice with m. leprae, initially with an inoculum from a sooty mangabey that was not infected with siv and, subsequently, with an inoculum from a mangabey that was siv infected. the monkey did ...19902165511
a comparison of monocyte oxidative responses in leprosy patients and healthy subjects as influenced by mycobacterial lipid pretreatment.superoxide anion (o2-) release by monocytes from leprosy patients in a paired study was lower than that released by monocytes from healthy controls. pretreatment of healthy control monocytes with phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) of mycobacterium leprae resulted in the release of less o2- than released by buffer-treated cells or cells pretreated with structurally similar lipids. however, pretreatment of patient monocytes with pgl-i did not affect the o2- generation, perhaps because the cells already ...19902169513
viability of mycobacterium leprae inside macrophages from different strains of mice and possible genetic control.peritoneal macrophages from swiss white mice in vitro tolerated mycobacterium leprae and allowed metabolism of the bacteria leading to release of bacteria-specific antigenic protein. this was associated with the maintenance of viability of the bacilli inside the cells. macrophages from c57bl mice reduced viability of m. leprae after phagocytosis, and this was associated with the production of superoxide. blockage of superoxide production resulted in maintaining viability of the cells of these mo ...19902169514
giant nerve abscesses in leprosy.two leprosy patients with neuritis caused by giant abscesses involving almost the entire ulnar nerve are described. one patient, who also had skin lesions, was diagnosed histopathologically as having borderline tuberculoid leprosy both on skin and nerve biopsy, and the other, with only nerve involvement, belonged to the pure neuritic group. the lepromin test was strongly positive (with a vesicular reaction in one patient) and lymphocyte transformation to mycobacterium leprae antigen was raised. ...19902171820
joint chemotherapy trials in lepromatous leprosy conducted in thailand, the philippines, and korea.chemotherapy trials in lepromatous leprosy using various combinations of existing antileprosy drugs were conducted jointly by korea, the philippines, and thailand. the general objective of these trials was to determine the most effective and practicable regimen or regimens for field application. lepromatous patients were divided into two groups: group i was comprised of new, untreated patients infected with dapsone-sensitive mycobacterium leprae and group ii consisted of relapsed patients with d ...19902181040
effectiveness of pefloxacin in the treatment of lepromatous leprosy.as a first clinical trial of a fluoroquinolone derivative in leprosy, ten previously untreated lepromatous leprosy patients, about two fifths of them with primary dapsone resistance but all susceptible to rifampin, were treated with pefloxacin 400 mg twice daily for 6 months. definite clinical improvement was observed in all ten patients as early as 2 months after beginning treatment, and the morphological index was also drastically decreased to the baseline during the same period. the rapid bac ...19902181041
screening of anti-m. leprae antibodies in the blood samples eluted from filter paper blood blots. 19902181042
igm serum antibodies to phenolic glycolipid-i and clinical leprosy: two years' observation in a community with hyperendemic leprosy.a village population with hyperendemic leprosy in papua new guinea was repeatedly examined for clinical leprosy and for serum igm antibodies to phenolic glycolipid-i (apgl-i) over 2 years between 1984 and 1986. in 1984, serum apgl-i was elevated in 15% of the subjects without clinical leprosy, and the prevalence of seropositivity was not significantly different in subjects from households with or without leprosy. in 1986, the prevalence of elevated serum apgl-i in leprosy-free subjects had risen ...19902181044
antibodies to lipoarabinomannan antigen in sooty mangabey monkeys experimentally inoculated with mycobacterium leprae.igg and igm antibody levels to mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan (lam) antigen were determined by elisa in eight sooty mangabey monkeys (cercocebus atys) prior to and at intervals after experimental inoculation with mycobacterium leprae. high levels of anti-lam igg were present before inoculation and increased thereafter in the five mangabeys that developed lepromatous (ll) forms of leprosy; lower levels of anti-lam igg were observed in two mangabeys that developed indeterminate leprosy and tuberc ...19902181045
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