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mycobacteria in nerve trunks of long-term treated leprosy patients.mycobacteria were present in 4 out of 8 mixed peripheral nerve trunks from patients (3 bt and 1 bl) treated with dds and/or mdt for periods ranging from 21 months to 8 years. most of the bacilli appeared to be 'whole'. nerve destruction with areas of granulomatous infiltration appeared more active than expected. possible reasons for a continued presence of bacilli in treated nerves and its implications in 'relapse' are discussed.19911870375
factors influencing the in vitro growth of mycobacterium leprae: effect of sulfhydryl compounds.in an attempt to determine the factors that influence the in vitro growth of mycobacterium leprae in dh medium, the effects of sulfhydryl compounds were studied. growth of m. leprae was monitored using two biochemical indicators. only the sulfhydryl compounds, in reduced form, containing carboxyl group could support the growth of m. leprae. higher cell yields were obtained when these sulfhydryl compounds were supplemented with dithiothreitol, presumable to keep the monothiols in reduced state du ...19911870438
leprosy vaccines.leprosy is the clinical manifestation of chronic infection with mycobacterium leprae, an intracellular parasite with a predilection for skin and nerves. disabilities and mutilations associated with this disease, which are attributable primarily to nerve involvement, have made leprosy among the most feared and stigmatizing of all diseases. it is still widespread in the warmer regions of the globe, including southern europe, southern usa and most of the developing countries. though widespread, the ...19911872011
l-arginine-dependent macrophage effector functions inhibit metabolic activity of mycobacterium leprae.recently, l-arginine has been shown to be a necessary substrate for murine-activated macrophage-mediated tumor cytostasis and microbiostasis of certain fungi, bacteria, and intracellular protozoa. we report here the effects of the l-arginine-dependent pathway of activated mouse macrophages (mo) on the obligate intracellular prokaryote, mycobacterium leprae. due to the inability to culture m. leprae in vitro, a simple, quantitative assay was employed to measure the metabolism/viability of m. lepr ...19911880420
sensitization in vitro of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to phenolic glycolipid 1 of mycobacterium leprae in liposomes.study of primary immune responses in leprosy has been limited, since disease becomes manifest long after infection or is not detectable. to study primary immune responses, we immunized in vitro human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from unexposed individuals using phenolic glycolipid 1 (pgl-1), an important water-insoluble antigenic constituent of mycobacterium leprae. pgl-1, encapsulated in liposomes, induced lymphoproliferation or, less frequently, suppression of lymphoproliferation in 11-d ...19911884400
the 16s rrna nucleotide sequence of mycobacterium leprae: phylogenetic position and development of dna probes.the almost complete 16s rrna sequence from mycobacterium leprae was determined by direct sequencing of the chromosomal gene amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. the primary sequence revealed an insertion of 12 nucleotides at the 5' end of the 16s rrna gene, which consists of an a-t stretch and appears to be unique for m. leprae. within the mycobacteria m. leprae branches off with a group of slow-growing species comprising m. scrofulaceum, m. kansasii, m. szulgai, m. malmoense, m. intracel ...19911884981
serological responses in primary neuritic leprosy.the serological responses to 2 mycobacterium leprae specific epitopes and one common mycobacterial antigen were examined in 46 untreated patients with primary neuritic (pn) leprosy. m. leprae specific antibodies to the terminal disaccharide of phenolic glycolipid and/or the ml-04 defined epitope on the 35 kda protein were detected in 41% of pn patients and 47% responded to one of the 3 antigens. this serological response mirrored that observed in paucibacillary leprosy patients. there was a sign ...19911887493
a clinical, immunological, and histological study of neuritic leprosy patients.an assessment has been made of 108 neuritic leprosy patients to find out if the number of affected nerves and the clinical presentations of these patients give any indication of the underlying severity (classification) of the disease. detailed clinical recordings, skin smears, lepromin testing with dharmendra antigen, and a leukocyte migration inhibition test (lmit) using sonicated mycobacterium leprae antigens were done in these patients. nerve biopsies of available affected nerves were taken i ...19911890361
detection of m. leprae-specific antigens with dot-elisa in urine and nasal samples from leprosy patients.one-hundred-two urine and nasal samples collected from leprosy patients of different classifications of disease were studied for the presence of mycobacterium leprae antigens, including phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i). lipids were extracted from the urine samples, and nasal washings were concentrated and used as such in the dot-elisa. two types of primary antibodies, a polyclonal antibody obtained from lepromatous (ll) leprosy patients' pooled and absorbed sera and an anti-pgl-i monoclonal antibod ...19911890363
igm antibodies to native phenolic glycolipid-i in contacts of leprosy patients in venezuela: epidemiological observations and a prospective study of the risk of leprosy.in a randomized, double-blind vaccine trial in venezuela, about 29,000 contacts of leprosy patients have been vaccinated with either a mixture of heat-killed mycobacterium leprae and bcg or bcg alone, and are being re-surveyed annually to detect new cases of leprosy. all contacts had a serum sample collected at the time of entry into the trial, and 13,020 of these sera have been analyzed for antibodies to phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i). antibody levels have been related to various characteristics ...19911890364
a seroepidemiological study of leprosy in high- and low-endemic indonesian villages.a seroepidemiological study was performed in three different leprosy-endemic areas in indonesia, including two isolated villages with high endemicity in south sulawesi (kaluarang and hulo) and an area with low endemicity in java (jepara). a total of 2430 serum samples were collected from 2672 individuals in these locations. the prevalence of leprosy in these three areas, as determined during this study, was 29/1000, 11/1000, and 7/1000 in kaluarang, hulo and jepara, respectively. two serological ...19911890365
seroepidemiological study of leprosy in a highly endemic population of south india based on an elisa using synthetic pgl-i.as part of a continuing longitudinal immuno-epidemiological study, blood samples were collected by finger prick from 4243 individuals living in a highly endemic area for leprosy in south india. the samples were tested for igm antibodies against phenolic glycolipid-i using an elisa. seropositivity defined as optical density greater than or equal to 0.2000 was marginally higher in the age group 10-30 years and in females. there was no evidence for a higher level in contacts than in non-contacts. t ...19911890366
the value of igm antibodies to pgl-i in the diagnosis of leprosy.an elisa has been used to measure igm antibodies to phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) in previously undiagnosed patients who were suspected of leprosy on purely clinical grounds. the certainty of clinical diagnosis was classified as either "firm" or "indefinite." leprosy was confirmed in 133 of 161 patients on the basis of positive slit-skin smears and/or skin and/or nerve histopathology. all 58 patients with multibacillary leprosy (bb, bl, or ll) were correctly diagnosed clinically, as were 50 of 5 ...19911890367
serum iga1 and igm antibodies against mycobacterium leprae-derived phenolic glycolipid-i: a comparative study in leprosy patients and their contacts.in order to evaluate the potentials of iga1 versus igm as well as of native phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) versus pgl-i-disaccharide coupled to bovine serum albumin (d-bsa) as antigens in the serodiagnosis of leprosy, anti-d-bsa iga1 and anti-pgl-i igm were investigated and compared to anti-pgl-i iga1 in sera from patients and contacts. anti-d-bsa and anti-pgl-i iga1 significantly correlate in patients and contacts. the higher iga1 positivity rates obtained with d-bsa as compared to pgl-i may sug ...19911890368
a serologic study of naturally acquired leprosy in chimpanzees.data from longitudinally obtained serum samples spanning several years has permitted us to identify two chimpanzees with leprosy and to estimate the time of mycobacterium leprae exposure/infection. the results confirm high levels of specific anti-m. leprae phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) as well as anti-lipo-arabinomannan (anti-lam) antibodies in both chimpanzees, and identify additional chimpanzees with possible m. leprae exposure. the observations are consistent with the hypothesis that leprosy ...19911890369
mycobacterial cell surface proteins revealed by labeling with 125i. 19911890373
effect of circulating immune complexes of leprosy patients on leukocyte migration inhibition induced by mycobacterium leprae antigens in healthy volunteers. 19911890375
rat schwann cells produce interleukin-1.there is increasing evidence that schwann cells of peripheral nerves may be able to function as accessory cells, interacting with the immune system in t cell-mediated immune responses, by expression of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii molecules. in addition to mhc class ii-associated presentation of antigen to t lymphocytes, the release of a co-stimulatory factor, interleukin-1 (il-1), is an essential function of accessory cells for t cell activation. in this study, we investi ...19911894731
[autochtonous leprosy in a patient treated for superficial pemphigus]. 19911897831
chemical synthesis and seroreactivity of a neoantigen containing the oligosaccharide hapten of the mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific phenolic glycolipid.the report of a major triglycosyl phenol phthiocerol (phenolic) glycolipid in some strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis that resembles the phenolic glycolipid i of mycobacterium leprae raised the prospects of a specific serodiagnostic tool for human tuberculosis. the terminal diglycosyl unit of the m. tuberculosis product was synthesized and converted to a corresponding neoglycoprotein, the o-(2,3,4-tri-o-methyl-alpha-l-fucopyranosyl)-(1----3)-o-alpha-l- rhamnopyranosyl)-(1----9)-oxynonanoyl-bo ...19911898609
mycobacterium leprae renders schwann cells and mononuclear phagocytes susceptible or resistant to killer cells.acquired resistance to mycobacterium leprae, the etiologic agent of leprosy, crucially depends on cellular immune mechanisms. in addition to interleukin-mediated helper functions, killer mechanisms seem to be involved. this study addresses the question of how m. leprae render mononuclear phagocytes and schwann cells, its natural targets, susceptible or resistant to killer cells. killer activities were stimulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals by incubation with my ...19911898912
mycobacteria and human autoimmune disease: direct evidence of cross-reactivity between human lactoferrin and the 65-kilodalton protein of tubercle and leprosy bacilli.we document here by western immunoblotting and immunogold ultracytochemistry that polyclonal antibodies against human lactoferrin (lf) bind to tubercle and leprosy bacilli. in situ immunogold labeling of mycobacterium leprae (present in armadillo liver and in human skin) and of mycobacterium tuberculosis indicated that receptors for anti-lf antibodies were present both on the cytoplasm and on the envelope of the bacilli. we found by immunoblotting that the 65-kda heat shock protein is the major ...19911900057
resistance to intravenous inoculation of mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv in mice of different inbred strains following immunization with a leprosy vaccine based on mycobacterium w.four strains of mice, namely balb/c, c57bl/6 ncrl (bcgs), c3h/he ncrl and cba/n (bcgr) were experimentally infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv (trudeau institute, saranac lake, ny) to induce sub-lethal infection. the level of infection was assessed by screening tuberculin reaction, pulmonary lesions, and viable units of mycobacteria recovered from the lung, spleen and liver. on prior immunization with 10(7) heat-killed suspension of mycobacterium w, an anti-leprosy vaccine currently u ...19911901186
genetic control of immunopathology induced by mycobacterium leprae.the pathogenesis of leprosy is almost totally attributable to the immune response of the host towards mycobacterium leprae, a virtually non-toxic intra-cellular parasite. at one end of the leprosy spectrum are tuberculoid leprosy patients, who develop immunity but also delayed-type hypersensitivity towards m. leprae; at the other end are lepromatous leprosy patients, who lack helper t cell activity and therefore do not develop immunity, but who can nevertheless produce antibodies that may cause ...19911904200
location of the mycolyl ester substituents in the cell walls of mycobacteria.the question of the precise location of mycolic acids, the single most distinctive cell wall entity of members of the mycobacterium genus, has now been addressed. the free hydroxyl functions of the arabinogalactan component of the mycobacterial cell wall were o-methylated under conditions in which the mycolyl esters were not cleaved. subsequent replacement of the mycolyl functions with o-ethyl groups resulted in an acid- and base-stable differentially o-alkylated surrogate polysaccharide, more a ...19911906464
effect of mycobacteria on sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of tumor necrosis factor.unlike mycobacterium leprae, mycobacterium tuberculosis is not found inside cells other than macrophages and polymorphonuclear cells in vivo, yet previous work has revealed that in vitro it readily enters all cell lines tested. moreover, these cells are not killed by the intracellular mycobacteria. we report here that when fibroblasts take up live (but not killed) m. tuberculosis h37rv, they develop greatly increased sensitivity to the toxic effects of tumor necrosis factor (tnf) whether the cel ...19911906841
effects of activated macrophages on mycobacterium leprae.five alternative methods were used to explore in vitro the effects of normal and activated murine macrophages on the metabolic well-being of intracellular mycobacterium leprae: fluorescein diacetate-ethidium bromide staining, atp content, synthesis of phenolic glycolipid 1, and two techniques to quantitate oxidation of palmitic acid. in relatively short-term experiments (7 to 10 days), each of these procedures provided strong evidence that activated macrophages exerted a deleterious effect on th ...19911908824
reactivity of fungal organisms in tissue sections using anti-mycobacteria antibodies.sixty-four cases of deep fungal infections diagnosed using pas or silver stains and 18 control cases of sarcoidosis, m. tuberculosis and m. leprae infection were stained using commercial polyclonal antibody raised against m. paratuberculosis (mp), m. duvalii (md), and bacillus calmette-guerin (bcg). nine of 13 cases of sporotrichosis stained positively using anti-mp antibody only; 13 of 14 cases of histoplasmosis stained with anti-bcg, anti-md, and anti-mp; seven cases of cryptococcosis had only ...19911918507
mouse footpad pathogenicity of leprosy derived nocardioform bacteria cultivated in vitro.in vitro cultures of the nocardioform bacteria from leprosy-infected tissues consisted of granules and bacilli. inoculation of these granules into mouse footpads (mfp) produced a mild, localised, inflammation for 4-6 weeks. the granules evoked typical granulomatous response in the subcutaneous tissue and showed gradual disintegration. infiltration of muscles, connective tissue and epithelial cells by bacillary/mycelial masses was seen very frequently, and that of nerve bundles occasionally. plen ...19911919089
in vitro activities of aminoglycosides, lincosamides, and rifamycins against mycobacterium leprae.the in vitro activities of a variety of aminoglycosides, lincosamides, and rifamycins against mycobacterium leprae were evaluated with the bactec 460 system. at 20 micrograms/ml, gentamicin, kanamycin, tobramycin, streptomycin, and amikacin were inactive. lincomycin was active at 20 micrograms/ml, and clindamycin was active at 0.31 micrograms/ml. rifamycin sv, rifabutin, and rifampin were active at 3.1, 3.1 to 12.5, and 200 ng/ml, respectively. the in vitro assay correlates well with the in vivo ...19911929269
radiolabeling of mycobacterium leprae lipids within schwannoma cells, a potential drug screening system.this study describes a novel method which could be developed into a test system of evaluating the efficacy of antileprosy drugs. the method estimates incorporation of [14c]acetate into lipids of mycobacterium leprae maintained within the 33b schwannoma cell line. schwannoma cell-resident m. leprae cells incorporated significant levels of radiolabel within their lipids during 12 days of incubation in vitro. this incorporation was markedly reduced by 5 micrograms of rifampin per ml (decrease, 81.6 ...19911929306
t cell response to purified filtrate antigen 85 from mycobacterium bovis bacilli calmette-guérin (bcg) in leprosy patients.t cell proliferation and ifn-gamma production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 25 healthy controls and 39 leprosy patients were tested against bcg-bacilli and culture filtrate. mycobacterium leprae and purified antigen 85 (the major secreted 30-32 kd protein antigen) from m. bovis strain bcg. in lepromin negative healthy controls, blastogenesis was low to m. leprae and completely negative to antigen 85. ifn-gamma levels were very low, close to detection limits. in all lepromin positive ...19911934596
cytogenetic studies in leprosy patients before and after chemotherapy.the frequencies of chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges (sces), cell proliferation kinetics and mitotic indices were studied in peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures of leprosy patients both before and after chemotherapy. the differences in the frequencies of chromosome aberrations and sces between controls, paucibacillary and multibacillary patients were found to be statistically highly significant (p less than 0.001). the extent of cytogenetic damage seemed to depend on the sev ...19911937467
serology and leprosy: immunoassays comparing immunoglobulin g antibody responses to 28- and 30-kilodalton proteins purified from mycobacterium bovis bcg.two major proteins from mycobacterium bovis bcg culture filtrates with molecular masses of 28 kda (p28) and 30 kda (p30), identified as components of the bcg 85 complex, were purified and used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) for the determination of specific immunoglobulin g (igg) levels in patients with leprosy or tuberculosis or with exposure to these diseases. high reactivity to both antigens was observed with sera from lepromatous leprosy patients, whereas antibody levels in s ...19911939585
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
new generation vaccines: does antibody play a directional role in antigen-processing?analyses of recombinant proteins isolated from genomic libraries of pathogenic organisms represent the beginning of identifying immunologically-reactive epitopes. the induction of cell-mediated and humoral immune responses to any pathogen begins with the uptake and processing of antigen by antigen-presenting cells and the display of specific epitopes to the immune system of the host. little emphasis is placed on the molecular mechanisms underlying transport of foreign proteins into antigen-prese ...19911710425
identification of a novel b-cell epitope of restricted specificity on the hsp 65-kda protein of mycobacterium tuberculosis.a b-cell epitope on the carboxy-terminal region of the mycobacterial 65-kda heat shock protein that distinguishes mycobacterium tuberculosis/mycobacterium bovis bcg from mycobacterium leprae was identified by two novel monoclonal antibodies (mabs), ne5 and nd4. these mabs also showed a limited cross reactivity with mycobacterial species belonging to m. tuberculosis complex and mycobacterium avium complex with the exception of mycobacterium vaccae. characterization of the epitope recognized by th ...19911711877
current concepts in the pathogenesis of leprosy. clinical, pathological, immunological and chemotherapeutic aspects.in recent years there have been notable advances in the laboratory investigation and field management of leprosy. progress, however, continues to be hindered by the lack of efficient methods for early diagnosis and implementation of control and treatment measures. diagnosis is still made on the same principles as a century ago (clinical and histopathological findings), and only 1 in 3 known patients worldwide receives optimal chemotherapy. in 1988, nearly 1 in 10 newly diagnosed patients already ...19911715262
the antibody repertoire to proteins of mycobacterium leprae. genetic influences at the antigen and epitope level.the effects of both h-2 and non-h-2 genes on the antibody response to the proteins of mycobacterium leprae were investigated. using a b10 series of congenic mice we found that the repertoire of antibody responses was under h-2 gene control, and that non-h2 genes were also involved. by western blotting, differences in the number and m.w. of proteins recognised by mice of different genetic background were apparent. such differences were also reflected in the total antibody response to a soluble ex ...19911716288
murine t cell-stimulatory peptides from the 19-kda antigen of mycobacterium tuberculosis. epitope-restricted homology with the 28-kda protein of mycobacterium leprae.fifteen overlapping synthetic peptides, spanning the entire amino acid sequence of the mycobacterium tuberculosis 19-kda protein, were used to identify epitopes recognized by murine t cells. five of the 15 peptides tested were able to elicit in vitro lymph node t cell proliferative responses in c57bl/10 mice primed by footpad inoculation with homologous peptide. analysis in congenic strains of mice revealed h-2 restriction in the response to four peptides. however, one peptide, 19.7 (residues 61 ...19911717575
expression of adhesion molecules in leprosy lesions.leprosy presents as a clinical spectrum that is precisely paralleled by a spectrum of immunological reactivity. the disease provides a useful and accessible model, in this case in the skin, in which to study the dynamics of cellular immune responses to an infectious pathogen, including the role of adhesion molecules in those responses. in lesions characterized by strong delayed-type hypersensitivity against mycobacterium leprae (tuberculoid, reversal reaction, and mitsuda reaction), the overlyin ...19911718871
the 16s ribosomal rna of mycobacterium leprae contains a unique sequence which can be used for identification by the polymerase chain reaction.nucleotide sequence data for bacterial 16s ribosomal rna was used to identify oligodeoxyribonucleotide primers suitable for probing the rrna gene of mycobacteria and related organisms, with the polymerase chain reaction. the method enabled us to distinguish mycobacteria from other closely related genera, and to differentiate between slow- and fast-growing mycobacteria. mycobacterium leprae fell within the slow-growing group of mycobacteria but there are significant differences between the sequen ...19911719203
spindle cell pseudotumor due to mycobacterium avium-intracellulare in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids). positive staining of mycobacteria for cytoskeleton filaments.a rare spindle-cell pseudotumor caused by mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (mai) that mimics a mesenchymal tumor, was recently reported (7,14). we report on three such pseudotumors in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids), two involving lymph nodes and one involving the bone marrow. in the course of investigating the first-encountered example of this tumor for evidence of smooth-muscle origin of the spindle cells, it was noted that these cells stained positively for desmi ...19911720931
antibodies to mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific epitopes in lepromatous leprosy.sera from patients with leprosy or tuberculosis and healthy subjects have been analysed for the presence of antibodies to four species-specific mycobacterial epitopes, four different viruses and five autoantigens. antibodies to the mycobacterium leprae-specific 35-kd protein and phenolic glycolipid i epitopes were not present in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. in contrast, antibody levels to species-specific epitopes of the 38-kd and 14-kd antigens m. tuberculosis were significantly ...19911721012
epitope specificity and mhc restriction of rheumatoid arthritis synovial t cell clones which recognize a mycobacterial 65 kda heat shock protein.cd4+ t cell clones specific for the mycobacterial hsp 65 were obtained from synovial fluid of a dr4 homozygous rheumatoid arthritis (ra) patient. a stimulatory epitope was defined using both deletion mutants of the mycobacterial hsp 65 and synthetic peptides and proved to be in a highly conserved region of the molecule. despite this, however, there was no recognition by these clones of either the recombinant human homologue of mycobacterial hsp 65, p60, nor of a synthetic peptide containing an a ...19911721835
assessing the viability of mycobacterium leprae by the fluorescein diacetate/ethidium bromide staining technique.in the present study we have evaluated the fluorescein diacetate/ethidium bromide (fda/eb) staining technique to assess the viability of mycobacterium leprae obtained from biopsies of leprosy patients under different periods of treatment. bacillary suspensions were obtained from skin punch biopsies and stained with the fda/eb solution. the average percentage of green cells seen which were deemed to be viable were: 67.2% of green cells in patients without previous treatment; 45.6% in patients wit ...19911723741
significance of neither green nor red ngr bacilli in fda-eb staining.this study deals with determination of viability by fda-eb method. it has been observed that some of the bacilli do not take any colour in fda-eb preparations. these can be called "neither green nor red" (ngr) bacilli. these non-staining bacilli should be taken into account when reporting viability by fda-eb method.19911723742
recent advances in the development of techniques for diagnosis and epidemiology of leprosy. 19911725176
a rapid latex agglutination test for detection of antibodies in tuberculosis and hansen's disease.antigens of mycobacterium w, a saprophytic fast growing organism having antigenic epitopes cross-reactive with mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis, were coated on to latex beads (0.33 micron zn size), and the reactivity tested with sera of tuberculosis and hansen's disease (hd) patients. seventy nine percent of lepromatous leprosy (ll) and eighty five percent of pulmonary tuberculosis (tb) patients sera showed an agglutination reaction easily read by naked eye. specificity of the ...19911725289
immune responses to the 18-kda protein of mycobacterium leprae. similar b cell epitopes but different t cell epitopes seen by inbred strains of mice.antibody responses to the 18-kda protein of mycobacterium leprae have been analyzed in different strains of mice. high, intermediate, and low responder strains have been identified and these response patterns show clear linkage to genes encoded in the h-2 complex. three peptides, residues 1-50, 51-100, and 101-148 have been synthesized, as well as a series of 20-mer peptides, which span the entire 18-kda protein. repeated immunization of different strains of mice with the 18-kda protein resulted ...19911706384
cloning and characterization of the mycobacterium leprae putative ribosomal rna promoter in escherichia coli.the putative promoter region of the 16s ribosomal rna-encoding gene (rrna) of mycobacterium leprae was cloned and characterized in escherichia coli. a 932-bp haeiii restriction fragment, containing the 5' end of the 16s rrna gene and flanking upstream region, was cloned in front of a promoterless reporter gene in the shuttle vector, pmh109, to generate the plasmid, pya1101. this clone exhibits promoter activity both in gram-(e. coli) and gram+ (bacillus subtilis) bacteria. sequence analysis and ...19911707388
characterization of murine b-cell epitopes on the mycobacterium leprae proline-rich antigen by use of synthetic peptides.using synthetic peptides representing overlapping sequences of the 100-amino-acid-long n-terminal region of the proline-rich antigen of mycobacterium leprae (pra), we have mapped the epitopes in the primary structure of pra recognized by four monoclonal antibodies. the m. leprae-specific monoclonal antibody f47-9 recognized the amino acid sequence lgsayp (residues 34 to 39). both monoclonal antibodies f67-1 and f67-5 recognized the sequence yppp within the repeated sequence of pra at four sites ...19911702765
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 major t cell antigen of mycobacterium leprae is a 10-kd heat-shock cognate protein.several mycobacterial antigens, identified by monoclonal antibodies and patient sera, have been found to be homologous to stress or heat-shock proteins (hsp) defined in escherichia coli and yeast. a major antigen recognized by most mycobacterium leprae-reactive human t cell lines and cell wall-reactive t cell clones is a 10-kd protein that has now been cloned and sequenced. the predicted amino acid sequence of this protein is 44% homologous to the hsp 10 (groes) of e. coli. the purified native a ...19921730920
a clinical trial of minocycline in lepromatous leprosy. 19921737148
a toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 peptide that shows homology to mycobacterial heat shock protein 18 is presented as conventional antigen to t cells by multiple hla-dr alleles.we observe that pbmc from most adults (16 of 18 subjects tested) show a small but significant in vitro proliferative response to a 30-amino acid-long peptide (peptide 2, amino acids 34-63) derived from toxic shock syndrome toxin. by contrast, pbmc from newborn blood and thymocytes do not proliferate to this peptide, and furthermore, peptide 2 did not displace the binding of radiolabeled tsst-1 to mhc class ii positive cells, nor did it induce il-1 beta mrna in monocytes, indicating that this pep ...19921737925
high antibody levels to the mycobacterial fibronectin-binding antigen of 30-31 kd in tuberculosis and lepromatous leprosy.immunoblot assays showed that mycobacterial fibronectin-binding antigens are important targets of the humoral immune response in tuberculosis and leprosy. using culture filtrate antigens of mycobacterium tuberculosis, strong reactivity with the fibronectin-binding of 30-31 kd (fn 30-31) was demonstrated in 55.9% of tuberculosis sera and in 56.5% of lepromatous leprosy sera. sera from patients with tuberculoid leprosy and control sera gave very weak binding. reactivity of tuberculosis and leproma ...19921371953
monoclonal antibody epitopes of mycobacterial 65-kd heat-shock protein defined by epitope scanning.the binding sites for moabs to the 65-kd heat-shock protein (hsp65) of mycobacteria have been investigated by epitope scanning. five hundred and twenty-six 8-mer peptides representing the complete sequence of mycobacterium tuberculosis hsp65 were synthesised in duplicate using the epitope scanning kit (crb ltd.). the epitopes of six moabs raised to the hsp65 of m. tuberculosis or m. leprae were investigated. we have identified the epitope of a new moab (dc16); this epitope is continuous, hydroph ...19921378362
clarithromycin. a review of its antimicrobial activity, pharmacokinetic properties and therapeutic potential.clarithromycin is an acid-stable orally administered macrolide antimicrobial drug, structurally related to erythromycin. it has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, similar to that of erythromycin and inhibits a range of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, atypical pathogens and some anaerobes. significantly, clarithromycin demonstrates greater in vitro activity than erythromycin against certain pathogens including bacteroides melaninogenicus, chlamydia pneumoniae, chlamydia tracho ...19921379907
composition and immunological properties of the protein fraction of a36, a major antigen complex of mycobacterium paratuberculosis.tma (thermostable macromolecular antigens) are major mycobacterial complexes present in all mycobacteria. we have purified a36, the tma complex of m. paratuberculosis, the etiological agent of paratuberculosis (johne's disease), and shown by the immune electron microscopy approach its presentation at the cell surface. the immunodominance of the a36 complex in johne's disease was suggested by comparative elisa analysis of infected bovine sera, using either a36 or m. paratuberculosis total soluble ...19921380177
antibody responses to the 18-kda protein of mycobacterium leprae in leprosy and tuberculosis patients.the 18-kda protein of mycobacterium leprae, as recognized by the monoclonal antibody l5, has a restricted species distribution, being confined to m. leprae and m. habana. we have developed a solid-phase elisa using purified, recombinant m. leprae 18-kda protein and compared the serological responses of nepali leprosy and tuberculosis patients and endemic control subjects to the protein and the m. leprae phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i). few control subjects had anti-18-kda antibodies. a small propo ...19921381739
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