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detection of antibodies against phenolic glycolipid-1 (pgl-1), 35-kda and 30-40-kda components of mycobacterium leprae in the cerebrospinal fluid of of leprosy patients.the involvement of the central nervous system (cns) in lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients was investigated; 33 patients were examined clinically in detail and upper motor neuron involvement was observed in eight and lower motor neuron in three of these patients. anti-mycobacterium leprae antibodies could be detected in the csf by pgl-1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and monoclonal antibody (mab) based competitive assays against defined epitopes on the 35-kda protein and 30-40-kda polys ...19957543155
a putative fad-binding domain in a distinct group of oxidases including a protein involved in plant development.using methods for database screening with individual protein sequences and alignment blocks, a conserved domain is delineated in a group of proteins including several fad-dependent oxidases. two motifs within this domain resemble phosphate-binding loops and may be directly involved in fad binding. these motifs can be readily distinguished from previously described nucleotide-binding sites using a method for database screening with position-dependent weight matrices derived from alignment blocks. ...19957549889
activity of mycobacterial promoters during intracellular and extracellular growth.pus933, a bifunctional mycobacterium-escherichia coli translational fusion vector containing an amino-terminally truncated e. coli lacz reporter gene, was constructed. derivatives of pus933, containing the promoter, rbs and start codon of the mycobacterium bovis bcg hsp60 gene, the mycobacterium leprae 28 kda gene and the m. leprae 18 kda gene were constructed and introduced into e. coli, mycobacterium smegmatis and m. bovis bcg. beta-galactosidase activity was measured for mycobacteria grown in ...19957551043
a 46 kda integral membrane protein from mycobacterium leprae resembles a number of bacterial and mammalian membrane transport proteins.in this paper we describe the nucleotide sequence of a 3.4 kbp region of the mycobacterium leprae genome. this region contains an open reading frame of 1290 bp with a coding capacity for a protein of 46,179 da, designated the 38l protein. using antibodies against part of the 38l protein, we were able to demonstrate that the 38l protein is present in the membrane protein fraction of m. leprae. the 38l protein showed significant matches with a number of integral membrane proteins involved in the t ...19957551058
t cell clones from a non-leprosy exposed subject recognize the mycobacterium leprae 18-kd protein.although mycobacterium leprae shares many protein antigens with other mycobacterial species, there is a degree of specificity in the t cell response to the organism. this is evident in the failure of cross-protection between mycobacterial species and the specific unresponsiveness to m. leprae in lepromatous leprosy patients. the antigenic basis of this specificity is unresolved, but the m. leprae 18-kd protein is one candidate because of its restricted distribution and the isolation of m. leprae ...19957554400
distribution and persistence of mycobacterium leprae nasal carriage among a population in which leprosy is endemic in indonesia.in order to understand better the relationship among mycobacterium leprae, its transmission and the human host or the chain of infection which may lead to the development of leprosy, we performed a population survey in which nasal carriage of m. leprae was determined by a specific polymerase chain reaction (pcr), 2 years after an earlier survey in the same population. 1923 persons were registered, 1171 were clinically examined for signs of leprosy, and 418 were tested by pcr. the detection rate ...19957570870
immunoaffinity chromatographic isolation of a high molecular weight seroreactive protein from mycobacterium leprae cell sonicate.the purpose of this study was to isolate mycobacterium leprae antigen(s) by immunoaffinity chromatography using immunoglobulins from leprosy patients and from rabbit anti-m. leprae hyperimmune serum coupled to cnbr-sepharose 4b. a high molecular weight (m(r)) m. leprae protein (mlp) with a subunit m(r) of 22,000 was isolated. mlp was recognized by monoclonal antibody mmpii1g4 which is known to react with mmpii, a 22 kda protein of m. leprae. the n-terminal sequence of the 22 kda subunit (met-gln ...19957581267
local comparison of the genomes of mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae using the polymerase chain reaction.to facilitate comparison of the genome maps of mycobacterium tuberculosis and m. leprae, sequence data from the m. leprae sequencing project were used to design primers suitable for the amplification of short segments from conserved genes by the polymerase chain reaction. in most cases, both organisms yielded products of identical size that were then used as probes for a comparative genomic walk. the hybridization data often, but not always, revealed a similar organization of various regions of ...19957590183
cloning and sequence analysis of the gene encoding the dna polymerase i from mycobacterium tuberculosis.the pola gene (encoding dna polymerase i) from mycobacterium tuberculosis was cloned using an internal gene segment probe generated by pcr amplification of genomic dna [mizrahi et al., gene 136 (1993) 287-290]. the gene encodes a polypeptide 904 amino acids (aa) in length that shares 89% identity with a 911-aa homologue from mycobacterium leprae. the polypeptide has all of the primary structural elements necessary for dna polymerase and 5'-3' exonuclease activity, but lacks the motifs required f ...19957590302
glycoside-bearing liposomal delivery systems against macrophage-associated disorders involving mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis.asiaticoside, a plant glycoside with rhamnose as end sugar and having microbicidal properties was tested against mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis both in vivo and in vitro. as rhamnose is reported to have no tissue specificity, corchorusin d having glucose as end sugar was used for targeting with an equimolar proportion of asiaticoside in liposomal form for testing the drug value. results showed that liposomal asiaticoside had better microbicidal property against m. leprae and ...19957590855
cytokine profile of circulating t cells of leprosy patients reflects both indiscriminate and polarized t-helper subsets: t-helper phenotype is stable and uninfluenced by related antigens of mycobacterium leprae.cytokine profiles of circulating mononuclear cells were studied with the aim of delineating t-cell subsets in leprosy patients with active disease. using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) for cytokine mrna and enzyme-linked immunoassay (elisa) for the secreted products, interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma), interleukin-4 (il-4), il-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (gm-csf) were studied. three antigens, native mycobacterium leprae, a recombinant antigen lsr/a1 ...19957590888
molecular characterization and t-cell-stimulatory capacity of mycobacterium leprae antigen t5.a mycobacterium leprae lambda gt11 clone designated t5 has previously been selected with sera from tuberculoid leprosy patients. sequence analysis of this clone revealed the presence of two overlapping open reading frames (orfs) present on the two cdna strands. the first orf codes for the serologically recognized antigen, which was fused with the lacz gene in the lambda gt11 clone. the second orf, present on the complementary strand, displays strong sequence homology with the aspartyl-trna synth ...19957591123
identification and functional characterization of thioredoxin of mycobacterium tuberculosis.we have previously described a mycobacterium tuberculosis protein designated mpt46 that was present in culture filtrates. here we report that the mpt46 protein is thioredoxin of m. tuberculosis. mpt46 is recognized by antibodies to thioredoxin (trx) of escherichia coli, and antibodies of mpt46 recognize mycobacterium leprae trx. moreover, mpt46 was shown to have enzymatic activity identical to that of trx of other species, such as its ability to reduce insulin. these findings identify mpt46 as a ...19957591163
[new technique: pcr method for diagnosis of patients with leprosy]. 19957592157
[inoculum sizes necessary for maintaining the activity of mycobacterium leprae in cell-free liquid media].evidence was presented in the previous paper that the activity of cells of mycobacterium leprae was maintained in the phosphate buffer(ph 7) containing fetal calf serum (10%) with/without glycerin (2%) for approximately 4 weeks during incubation of cells at 30 degrees c, when the inoculum having more than 3,000 pg atp was used. in the present paper, it is confirmed that the definite inoculum sizes are essential for obtaining the reproducible results that are described above, by using the inocula ...19957592160
[recent development in immunology of leprosy: roles of immunoregulatory cytokines in the establishment of immuno-unresponsiveness to m. leprae in leprosy patients]. 19957592164
cytokine responses in leprosy lesions.the clinical spectrum of leprosy reflects the diverse nature of human immune responses to mycobacterium leprae. the clinical presentations correlate with the level of cell-mediated immunity against m. leprae. cell-mediated immunity, as assessed by the mitsuda reaction, is positive in tuberculoid patients and negative in lepromatous patients. in contrast, humoral immunity, as assessed by anti-m. leprae antibodies is greatest in lepromatous patients. the inverse correlation between cell-mediated i ...19957592165
purification and functional analysis of the mycobacterium leprae thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase hybrid protein.in mycobacterium leprae, thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase are expressed from a single gene. this results in the expression of a hybrid protein with subunits attached to each other by a hydrophilic peptide linker. in all other organisms studied so far, thioredoxin (trx) and thioredoxin reductase (tr) are expressed as two separate proteins. this raises the question of whether the hybrid protein is enzymatically active and, if so, whether tr reduces its own trx partner or alternatively a heter ...19957592733
the biosynthesis of cyclopropanated mycolic acids in mycobacterium tuberculosis. identification and functional analysis of cmas-2.the major mycolic acid produced by mycobacterium tuberculosis contains two cis-cyclopropanes in the meromycolate chain. the gene whose product cyclopropanates the proximal double bond was cloned by homology to a putative cyclopropane synthase identified from the mycobacterium leprae genome sequencing project. this gene, named cma2, was sequenced and found to be 52% identical to cma1 (which cyclopropanates the distal double bond) and 73% identical to the gene from m. leprae. both cma genes were f ...19957592990
analysis of t-cell and b-cell responses to recombinant m. leprae antigens in leprosy patients and in healthy contacts: significant t-cell responses to antigens in m. leprae nonresponders.the recognition of a panel of recombinant mycobacterium leprae antigens by t cells and b cells from 29 borderline tuberculoid/tuberculoid (bt/tt) and 18 lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients and from 21 healthy controls (hc) in leprosy-endemic regions of ethiopia was examined. all 11 antigenic molecules tested (including m. leprae hsp 10, hsp18, hsp65 and several novel m. leprae antigens) were shown to be recognized by t cells, but clear quantitative differences existed between reactivities induced ...19957594920
immunogenic properties of the m. leprae recombinant 18-kda antigen purified from saccharomyces cerevisiae; enhancement of delayed-type hypersensitivity after gamma-irradiation.in this paper we report the purification and study of the immunogenic properties of the mycobacterium leprae 18-kda protein antigen produced and secreted by the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae, using an expression system we recently described [biotech. lett. 16 (1994) 1241-1246]. the 18-kda protein was purified from the yeast culture media by precipitation, ion exchange chromatography (monoq) and exclusion size chromatography (sephacryl s-100). the biological properties of the recombinant protein ...19957594921
relapses during long-term follow up with drug-susceptible m. leprae among multibacillary leprosy patients treated with multidrug therapy regimens; case reports.a controlled clinical trial in highly bacilliferous multibacillary leprosy patients was initiated in 1977. we report here two cases of relapse during long-term follow up of patients 15 years after the start of treatment. the patients reported here were treated with rifampin, isoniazid, clofazimine and dapsone for the first 3 months followed by clofazimine and dapsone until 84 months in one case; the other case received the same treatment but had received dapsone alone for 60-80 months. the relap ...19957594922
electrophysiological correlates of hanseniasis.sensory nerve action potentials (snaps) and compound nerve action potentials (cnaps) were recorded from 25 normal subjects and 21 hanseniasis patients following electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist. the various nerve conduction parameters from the affected nerves of the patients were compared with those from the clinically normal nerves of patients as well as data from healthy individuals. analysis of the data and clinical correlation studies indicate the suitability of amplit ...19957594923
the immunology of leprosy; unravelling an enigma. 19957594927
ultrastructural changes in m. leprae passed to laboratory animals. 19957594933
clinical and histological discrepancies in diagnosis of enl reactions classified by assessment of acute phase proteins saa and crp.sixteen out of 45 (36%) leprosy patients with clinical features of acute erythema nodosum leprosum (enl) did not show the characteristic presence of neutrophils (polymorphs) in histology of the enl lesion. the acute-phase reactants, serum amyloid a (saa) and c-reactive protein (crp) which are systemic markers of inflammation, and igm and igg antibody to mycobacterium leprae were determined in these patients in order to understand the differences in histological diagnosis. both saa and crp were e ...19957602217
identification of igm as the leprosy patient serum factor responsible for rapid sedimentation of formolized sheep erythrocytes.the serum of some leprosy patients with impaired specific cellular immunity for mycobacterium leprae causes rapid sedimentation of formolized sheep erythrocytes, a phenomenon known as the rubino reaction. the rubino factor was precipitated from positive sera by 5% (w/v) polyethylene glycol (peg), bound to a concanavalin a (cona)-sepharose column and eluted with d-mannose, and was also eluted from a mono q column, ph 8.0, with 0.4 m nacl. the rubino factor was eluted in a volume which coincided w ...19957602218
biometals in skin and sera of leprosy patients and their correlation to trace element contents of m. leprae and histological types of the disease; a comparative study with cutaneous tuberculosis.the present study has provided information on the biometal contents of killed and dried mycobacterium leprae as well as dermal granulomas induced by the invading mycobacteria in various histological types of leprosy patients. for comparison, the biometal contents of the contralateral leprosy-unaffected skin of the same patients also were measured. the study also reports changes of serum levels of the biometals in these patients which were compared with those in healthy control subjects and patie ...19957602220
activity of combinations of dapsone, rifampin, minocycline, clarithromycin, and sparfloxacin against m. leprae-infected mice.in these studies we evaluated the activity of low levels of five antimicrobials against mycobacterium leprae-infected mice when administered singly and in all possible two- and three-drug combinations. antibiotics studied were: dapsone (d) 0.0001% in the diet, rifampin (r) 20 mg/kg by gavage once monthly, minocycline (m) 0.004% in the diet, clarithromycin (c) 0.001% in the diet, and sparfloxacin (s) 5 mg/kg by gavage five times weekly. singly each agent was found bacteriostatic (d + r) or partia ...19957602221
beige mice infected with mycobacterium leprae. 19957602228
identification of a gene involved in the biosynthesis of cyclopropanated mycolic acids in mycobacterium tuberculosis.mycolic acids represent a major constituent of the mycobacterial cell wall complex, which provides the first line of defense against potentially lethal environmental conditions. slow-growing pathogenic mycobacteria such as mycobacterium tuberculosis modify their mycolic acids by cyclopropanation, whereas fast-growing saprophytic species such as mycobacterium smegmatis do not, suggesting that this modification may be associated with an increase in oxidative stress experienced by the slow-growing ...19957604045
ultraviolet radiation decreases the granulomatous response to lepromin in humans.ultraviolet radiation (uvr) modulates cellular immunity in humans and experimental animals and can interfere with immune responses against infectious agents in animal models. we used the lepromin reaction, a cell-mediated immune response to antigens of mycobacterium leprae, to determine whether uvr affects the cellular immune response to an infectious agent in humans. we selected 29 healthy, lepromin-positive contacts of leprosy patients and determined their minimal erythema dose (med) of uvr. i ...19957615981
[a microtitration variant of the latex agglutination reaction in the diagnosis of leprosy].the authors describe the preparation of antigenic diagnostic agent based on stained polyacrolein latex particles conjugated with beta-(3-aminopropyl) 3, 6-dimethylglucopiranoside (dmg), a synthetic analog of psl = 1 from m. leprae (l-pmg), and its use in the microtitration variant of latex agglutination for the serological diagnosis of lepra. the test was performed in polystyrene plates. a total of 45 blood sera of patients with lepra, 34 sera of subjects who had contacts with leper patients, an ...19957620770
immunological aspects of relapse in leprosy. 19957622933
microbiological aspects of relapse in leprosy. 19957622934
the in-vitro activities of novel benzoxazinorifamycins against mycobacterium leprae.the activities of four newly synthesized benzoxazinorifamycin derivatives, either alone or in combination with ofloxacin, against strains of mycobacterium leprae were determined by assessing their effects on two biochemical parameters of metabolic activity which served as surrogate markers for growth in vitro. krm-1648 and krm-2312 were the most active agents tested against both a rifampicin-susceptible isolate (mics of 0.05 and 0.1 mg/l respectively) and a rifampicin-resistant isolate (mics of ...19957628981
structural requirements of peptide and mhc for dr(alpha, beta 1*0401)-restricted t cell antigen recognition.we identified functionally important regions of the dr(alpha, beta 1*0401) peptide binding site and present a model of bound peptide. dr(alpha, beta 1*0401)-restricted t cell recognition and peptide binding of mycobacterium leprae (ml) peptide 38-50 and overlapping peptides from the 18-kda heat-shock protein were analyzed. ml38-50 is unusual in its restricted binding pattern, binding to only one of five dr4 subtypes and no other dr molecules tested. amino acid substitutions were introduced into ...19957636246
experimental leprosy in monkeys. ii. longitudinal serological observations in sooty mangabey monkeys.in this study, 11 smm were grouped and inoculated with differing doses of smm-origin mycobacterium leprae (ml) between 4.5 x 10(8) and 1 x 10(9) by either combined iv/ic routes or by iv or ic route alone. the combined route was the most effective in eliciting progressive, disseminated ll leprosy. in all, 6 of 7 smm inoculated by the combined routes developed leprosy requiring treatment at some point. only 1 of 4 inoculated by a single route developed persisting leprosy requiring chemotherapy. ei ...19957637522
concomitant occurrence of leprosy and tuberculosis: leprosy vaccine, a myth or reality? 19957637529
inoculation of the mycobacterium leprae into the hamster cheek pouch. 19957637530
experimental leprosy in monkeys. i. sooty mangabey monkeys: transmission, susceptibility, clinical and pathological findings.a total of 31 sooty mangabey monkeys (smm) (cercocebus torquatus atys) inoculated by various routes with differing numbers of smm-origin mycobacterium leprae (ml) and 4 smm inoculated with human-origin ml were observed for 4-12 years. smm-origin ml was more pathogenic in smm than human-origin ml. the spectrum of disease ranged from indeterminate to borderline and lepromatous in different animals. some animals developed pure neural leprosy. erythema nodosum leprosum (snl) was also observed. combi ...19957637533
evaluation of pcr mediated dna amplification in non-invasive biological specimens for subclinical detection of mycobacterium leprae.dna from mycobacterium leprae, present in non-invasive clinical samples from leprosy patients, such as nasal secretion and hair bulbs, was submitted to amplification by the polymerase chain reaction using a m. leprae-specific repetitive sequence as a target. after optimization of sample processing and of the pcr conditions, we were able to detect dna from m. leprae in both types of clinical samples, even from paucibacillary leprosy patients. the use of hair bulbs and nasal secretion as clinical ...19957640671
the potent bone-resorbing mediator of actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is homologous to the molecular chaperone groel.actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative bacterium implicated in the pathology of localized juvenile periodontitis, a condition involving rapid destruction of alveolar bone. we have established that gentle extraction of this bacterium in saline releases a proteinaceous fraction (which we have termed surface-associated material [sam] which has potent osteolytic activity in the murine calvarial bone resorption assay. fractionation of the sam has now revealed that activity is associa ...19957657790
naturally processed peptides from rheumatoid arthritis associated and non-associated hla-dr alleles.naturally processed peptides from immunoaffinity-purified hla-drb1*0401, -drb1*0404 (rheumatoid arthritis (ra)-associated), and -drb1*0402 (non-ra-associated) molecules were analyzed by capillary liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. the molecular weights observed for more than 60 eluted peptides from each hla-dr protein ranged from 788 to 3535 atomic mass units, corresponding to peptides 7 to 32 amino acids in length. sequencing of more than 60 of the abundant peptides revealed nested se ...19957499850
role of reactive oxygen species in renal damage in experimental leprosy.renal involvement is known to occur in leprosy. in the present study the possible role of reactive oxygen species (ros) in causation of renal damage in mice infected with mycobacterium leprae has been investigated. at least six animals from each group (control and infected) were killed at 0 day, 3, 6 and 9 months postinfection. the results showed a significant increase in the chemiluminescence (cl) response of peritoneal macrophages which was maximum between 3 and 6 months. no significant increa ...19957500814
relapse with multibacillary leprosy caused by rifampicin sensitive organisms following paucibacillary multidrug therapy.many leprosy patients treated with multidrug therapy (mdt) had previously received dapsone (dds) monotherapy for many years. we report here 2 such patients treated with modified paucibacillary mdt composed of rifampicin and dds who subsequently relapsed with multibacillary leprosy 5 and 6 years after release from treatment. isolates of mycobacterium leprae from both patients were resistant to dds but sensitive to rifampicin, suggesting that the relapses were caused by rifampicin sensitive 'persi ...19957500815
cd26 expression in leprosy and other granulomatous diseases correlates with the production of interferon-gamma.leprosy represents a spectrum of clinical manifestations that reflect the immune response to antigens of mycobacterium leprae. the tuberculoid form of leprosy, which is characterized by an organized development of granulomas, has recently been correlated with a th1-like immune response. the lepromatous form of leprosy, with a characteristic lack of cellular immunity, has been correlated with a th2-like immune response to mycobacterial antigens. dipeptidylpeptidase iv (cd26) is an ectopeptidase t ...19957474942
characterization of the gene encoding the immunodominant 35 kda protein of mycobacterium leprae.analysis of the interaction between the host immune system and the intracellular parasite mycobacterium leprae has identified a 35 kda protein as a dominant antigen. the native 35 kda protein was purified from the membrane fraction of m. leprae and termed mmpi (major membrane protein i). as the purified protein was not amenable to n-terminal sequencing, partial proteolysis was used to establish the sequences of 21 peptides. a fragment of the 35 kda protein-encoding gene was amplified by the poly ...19957476185
the mycobacterium leprae genome: systematic sequence analysis identifies key catabolic enzymes, atp-dependent transport systems and a novel pola locus associated with genomic variability.in the framework of the mycobacterial genome sequencing project, a continuous 37,049 bp sequence from the mycobacterium leprae chromosome has been determined. computer analysis revealed 10 complete open reading frames, and nine of their products show similarity to known proteins. seven of these were identified as the enzyme isocitrate lyase, two p-type atpase cation transporters, two amp-binding proteins, the ribosomal protein s1, and dna polymerase i. interestingly, the pola gene, encoding dna ...19957476188
unique gene organization of thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase in mycobacterium leprae.the thioredoxin system comprising thioredoxin (trx), thioredoxin reductase (tr) and nadph operates via redox-active disulphides and provides electrons for a wide variety of different metabolic processes in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. thioredoxin is also a general protein disulphide reductase involved in redox regulation. in bacteria, the trx and tr proteins previously identified were encoded by separate genes (trxa and trxb). in this study, we report a novel genomic organization of tr and ...19957476189
[assessment of the mitsuda reaction in lepromatous patients inactive before and after immunotherapy].in this study the immunopotentiator levamisole as well as a mixture of bcg/mycobacterium leprae were investigated in inactive lepromatous leprosy patients by using the mitsuda reaction as a parameter. twenty lepromatous patients ten years ago classified as histologically negative for mitsuda's test were divided into three groups: five patients that were only retested with mitsuda antigen; eight patients that received oral levamisol and seven patients that received a mixture of alive bcg plus aut ...19957480918
cross-recognition by t cells of an epitope shared by two unrelated mycobacterial antigens.the molecular mimicry represented by cross-recognition of determinants shared by unrelated antigens by antibodies or t cells is of broad immunological interest. in this study, we analyzed the cross-recognition by cd4+ t cells of a peptide epitope shared by two mycobacterial proteins of diverse sequence, represented by the 19-kda antigen of mycobacterium tuberculosis and the 28-kda antigen of mycobacterium leprae. this epitope was immunodominant with respect to the 19-kda antigen, but cryptic in ...19957489760
genomic organization of the mycobacterial sigma gene cluster.we have previously described sigma a and sigma b and their structural genes, mysa and mysb, respectively, in mycobacterium smegmatis. we have now sequenced the corresponding regions in the m. tuberculosis and m. leprae chromosomes, and have found the two homologous genes. the chromosomal linkage and the deduced amino acid (aa) sequences of the two genes show very high similarity in the three species of mycobacteria. we also report the finding of two other open reading frames (orf) in these clust ...19957489918
the 65 kda protein of mycobacterium habana and its putative role in immunity against experimental tuberculosis.mycobacteria including mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae possess multiple antigens some of which inhibit other anti-mycobacterial immune responses. whole cell vaccines are not free from these suppressive molecules and may adversely affect the immunogenic response(s). purified protein components having only immunogenic properties should prove to be superior vaccine(s). mycobacterium habana, a candidate vaccine for mycobacterial infections has been dissected for analysing its ant ...19957493776
characterization of the mycobacterium tuberculosis erp gene encoding a potential cell surface protein with repetitive structures.using the phoa gene fusion methodology adapted to mycobacteria, several mycobacterium tuberculosis dna fragments encoding exported proteins were recently identified. in this paper, the molecular cloning, genomic positioning, nucleotide sequence determination and transcriptional start site mapping of a new m. tuberculosis gene, identified by this methodology, are reported. this gene was called erp (for exported repetitive protein) and has a sequence similar to that of the mycobacterium leprae 28 ...19957496523
t and b cell responses to mycobacterial 65-kda heat-shock protein in sheep infected with maedi visna virus.sheep infected with maedi visna virus were tested for immune reactivity to recombinant hsp65 and tuberculin ppd from mycobacteria. the results showed that both naturally and experimentally infected animals had elevated igm but not igg or iga antibodies to hsp65 from mycobacterium leprae or m. bovis. in experimentally infected animals, the elevated igm antibodies appeared in blood from about 3 to 4 weeks postinfection. increased t cell proliferative responses to hsp65 and ppd were also found in b ...19957532120
infection of scid mice with mycobacterium leprae and control with antigen-activated "immune" human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.the scid (severe combined immunodeficient) mouse lacks both b and t cells and tolerates injected mononuclear cells from humans, the principal hosts of mycobacterium leprae. a scid mouse model of leprosy could be useful to investigate potential vaccine strategies using human cells in a context in which the growth of the organism is monitored. initial experiments determined that scid mice are more susceptible than normal mice to infection and dissemination of m. leprae. cells from humans, either b ...19957868226
molecular and immunological characterization of the highly conserved antigen 84 from mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae.crossed immunoelectrophoresis (cie) has been used to develop a reference system for classifying mycobacterial antigens. the subsequent use of specific antibodies allowed further determination of antigens by molecular weight. the monoclonal antibody f126-2, originally raised against a 34-kda antigen of mycobacterium kansasii, reacted with antigen 84 (ag84) in the cie reference system for mycobacterium bovis bcg and mycobacterium tuberculosis. to characterize ag84, we screened a lambda gt11 gene l ...19957868268
analysis of the mycobacterium tuberculosis 85a antigen promoter region.a mycobacterial expression-secretion vector was constructed in which the escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase (phoa) reporter gene was placed under the control of the mycobacterium tuberculosis 85a promoter and secretion signal sequences. in recombinant mycobacterium smegmatis and mycobacterium bovis bcg, phoa activity could readily be detected on the mycobacterial cell surface and in the culture supernatant, indicating that the 85a signals can drive heterologous expression and secretion in bot ...19957836298
lack of cytotoxic activity against mycobacterium leprae 65-kd heat shock protein (hsp) in multibacillary leprosy patients.cytotoxic t cells play an important role in host defence mechanisms, as well as in the immunopathology of leprosy. in this study, we evaluated whether mycobacterium leprae hsp18, hsp65 and myco. tuberculosis hsp71 could induce cytotoxic t cell activity against autologous macrophages pulsed with these hsp. paucibacillary (pb) patients and normal controls generated more effector cells than multibacillary (mb) patients with all three hsp tested. there was no cross-reactivity between any of the hsp ...19957813115
immunoglobulin g1 (igg1) and igg3 antibodies are markers of progressive disease in leprosy.mycobacterium leprae-specific and polyclonal immunoglobulin g (igg) subclass and ige antibodies in leprosy patients across the histopathological spectrum were determined by using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. antibody responses to m. leprae sonicates were detected only in igg1, -2, and -3 subclasses. even at 100-times-lower dilutions, very little igg4 and ige antibody activity against m. leprae was detected in any group of leprosy patients. quantitatively, antibody responses ...19957822004
inositol phosphate capping of the nonreducing termini of lipoarabinomannan from rapidly growing strains of mycobacterium.previous studies have demonstrated that the nonreducing termini of the lipoarabinomannan (lam) from mycobacterium tuberculosis are extensively capped with mannose residues, whereas those from a fast growing mycobacterium sp., once thought to be an attenuated strain of m. tuberculosis, are not. the noncapped lam, termed aralam, is known to be more potent than the mannose-capped lam (manlam) in inducing functions associated with macrophage activation. using a combination of chemical and enzymatic ...19957759478
detection of mycobacterium leprae infection by pcr.pcr amplification of the 531-bp fragment of the mycobacterium leprae pra gene in fresh biopsy and slit skin smear samples was evaluated for its usefulness in the detection of leprosy bacilli in patients in thailand. in multibacillary patients, 87.1% (27 of 31) of biopsy specimens and 41.9% (13 of 31) of slit skin smear specimens were positive by pcr, whereas in paucibacillary patients, 36.4% (8 of 22) of biopsy specimens and 18.2% (4 of 22) of slit skin smear specimens yielded detectable pcr amp ...19957699064
fibronectin-binding antigen 85 and the 10-kilodalton groes-related heat shock protein are the predominant th-1 response inducers in leprosy contacts.peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 27 healthy leprosy contacts were analyzed for lymphoproliferation and th-1 cytokine secretion (interleukin-2 and gamma interferon) in response to heat shock proteins with molecular masses of 65, 18, and 10 kda from mycobacterium leprae and the 30-32-kda antigen 85 (ag 85) from mycobacterium bovis bcg. cells from 18 and 19 of 19 lepromin-positive contacts proliferated or produced th-1 cytokines in response to the m. leprae 10-kda protein and to ag 85, respe ...19957806388
identification of dna-binding proteins changed after induction of sporulation in bacillus cereus.dna-binding proteins were extracted from both exponentially growing cells of bacillus cereus ts-4 and cells that were induced to sporulate at different stages of chromosome replication, by using a double-stranded b. cereus ts-4 dna-cellulose column. two-dimensional electrophoresis of the proteins found that the amounts of 17 proteins changed drastically after induction of sporulation at all the stages. for 8 of those proteins, the largest or the smallest amount was found in the cells which were ...19957766022
characterization of streptomyces albus 18-kilodalton heat shock-responsive protein.in streptomyces albus during the heat shock response, a small heat shock protein of 18 kda is dramatically induced. this protein was purified, and internal sequences revealed that s. albus hsp18 showed a marked homology with proteins belonging to the family of small heat shock proteins. the corresponding gene was isolated and sequenced. dna sequence analysis confirmed that the hsp18 gene product is an analog of the 18-kda antigen of mycobacterium leprae. no hsp18 mrna could be detected at 30 deg ...19957768794
structural definition of acylated phosphatidylinositol mannosides from mycobacterium tuberculosis: definition of a common anchor for lipomannan and lipoarabinomannan.based on chemical analysis, we have previously concluded that the biologically important lipoarabinomannan (lam) and lipomannan (lm) from mycobacterium are multiglycosylated forms of the phosphatidylinositol mannosides (pims), the characteristic cell envelope mannophosphoinositides of mycobacteria. using definitive analytical techniques, we have now re-examined the reported multiacylated nature of pims in order to gain a better insight into their possible roles as biosynthetic precursors of lm a ...19957772860
[prognostic significance of seroepidemiological check-up in leprosy]. 19957777461
[immunomodulating role of endogenous thyroid hormones in mycobacterioses].radionuclide tracing in peripheral blood of patients with mycobacterial infections varying in activity (lepromatous lepra, n = 98; pulmonary tuberculosis, n = 51) provided information on lymphocyte proliferative response to pha, tuberculin, sensitin from lepra mycobacteria, on thyroid hormones concentrations. endogenic thyroid hormones are shown to have immunomodulating properties closely related to the disease activity.19957777462
[protective properties of m. lufu in experimental leprosy].a protective potential of m. lufu against experimental lepra was studied in mice infected with m. leprae according to shepard. 5 and 9 months after the inoculation quantitation of the causative agent in the animals' paws indicated a protective action of m. lufu which exceeded that of bcg, m. vaccae and m. leprae. high protective activity of m. lufu is due both to its antigenic composition similarity with m. leprae and influence on immune response regulation. it is suggested to use m. lufu for de ...19957777465
potential role of roxithromycin against the mycobacterium avium complex.until the recent experience with azithromycin and clarithromycin, macrolides were not considered to be important agents against mycobacteria. clinical evidence is now growing that the newer 14 and 15 membered macrolide compounds have therapeutic activity against mycobacterium avium, mycobacterium chelonae and mycobacterium leprae. several years ago, when evaluating the activity of roxithromycin using one of the more virulent m. avium in our collection, the authors found that roxithromycin exerte ...19957782113
[the 69th annual meeting special lecture. present situation of leprosy].many leprosy patients have deformity or disability owing to the characteristics of mycobacterium leprae i.e. m. leprae affects skin and peripheral nerve. optimum growth temperature of m. leprae was estimated by clinical manifestations and animal experiments, and it was concluded that the optimum temperature is 33 degrees c, and this characteristic of m. leprae may be one of the reason why m. leprae affects skin tissue. there was no reliable treatment of leprosy before 1943, but effectiveness of ...19957783397
functional heterogeneity among cd4+ t-cell clones from blood and skin lesions of leprosy patients. identification of t-cell clones distinct from th0, th1 and th2.in the present study we examined the functional properties of t-cell clones reactive with mycobacterium leprae and other mycobacterial antigens. clones isolated from the skin lesions and blood of leprosy patients across the spectrum were exclusively cd4+cd8- and expressed the alpha beta t-cell receptor. substantial heterogeneity in the production of cytokines, in particular interleukin-4 (il-4), was observed, although no striking correlation with clinical status was apparent. a variety of patter ...19957790032
a mycobacterium leprae gene encoding a fibronectin binding protein is used for efficient invasion of epithelial cells and schwann cells.mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, is an obligate intracellular pathogen. m. leprae can infect a variety of cells in vivo, including epithelial cells, muscle cells, and schwann cells, in addition to macrophages. the ligand-receptor interactions important in the attachment and ingestion of m. leprae by these nonmacrophage cells remains unknown. fibronectin (fn) significantly enhances both attachment and ingestion of m. leprae by epithelial and schwann cell lines. we cloned an m ...19957790081
relapse of mycobacterium leprae infection with ocular manifestations.a case of ocular leprosy as the manifestation of persistent or relapsed mycobacterium leprae infection approximately 20 years following treatment is reported. the clinical and pathological features of this case are described, and the molecular methods needed to arrive at the definitive diagnosis are examined. if blindness is to be averted, clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for the diagnosis of ocular leprosy when anterior segment changes are noted during ophthalmologic examination o ...19957795073
identification of mycobacterium tuberculosis dna sequences encoding exported proteins by using phoa gene fusions.the activity of bacterial alkaline phosphatase (phoa) is dependent on it being exported across the plasma membrane. a plasmid vector (pjem11) allowing fusions between phoa and genes encoding exported proteins was constructed to study protein export in mycobacteria. introduction of the mycobacterium fortuitum beta-lactamase gene (blaf*) into this vector led to the production in m. smegmatis of protein fusions with phoa activity. a genomic library from m. tuberculosis was constructed in pjem11 and ...19957798150
risk of relapse in multibacillary leprosy. 19957799708
are 18 doses of who/mdt sufficient for multibacillary leprosy; results of a trial in malawi.a trial comparing 18 monthly and 30 monthly doses of the world health organization-recommended multidrug therapy (who/mdt) in 305 multibacillary leprosy patients in malawi is described. patients were randomly allocated to one of the two regimens at the time of taking the 18th supervised dose of who/mdt. the mean follow-up period was 3 years (maximum 6 years). no relapse was observed in either group. the cumulative probabilities of remaining slit-skin smear positive were significantly higher amon ...19957730703
an unusual spreading phenomenon in an artificial medium inoculated with m. leprae. 19957730704
mycobacterium leprae in the epidermis: ultrastructural study i. 19957730705
detection of afb in tuberculoid biopsies. 19957730706
enhanced response of serum igg class of anti-pgl-i antibodies in leprosy patients during onset and following clinical remission of type 1 and type 2 reactions. 19957730708
incidence of late lepra reaction among multibacillary leprosy patients after mdt.multidrug therapy (mdt) recommended by the world health organization (who) had been administered in 1982 to a cohort of multibacillary (mb) leprosy patients. treatment was administered for a minimum period of 2 years or until skin-smear negativity for acid-fast bacilli was achieved (whichever was later). among 980 mb leprosy patients who completed treatment, 11 patients (1.1%) experienced lepra reactions during surveillance. probable predictive factors are discussed. the incidence of lepra react ...19957730714
optimal ph for preserving the activity of mycobacterium leprae during incubation of cells in a cell-free liquid medium.the effect of the ph of a cell-free liquid medium on the activity of mycobacterium leprae during incubation of the cells was investigated. as a parameter for evaluating the activity, the amount of adenosine triphosphate (atp) extracted from the incubated cells collected by centrifugation was measured. the results demonstrate that the activity of m. leprae cells was maintained at a significant level for approximately 4 weeks at 30 degrees c in 0.05 m phosphate buffer containing 10% fetal calf ser ...19957730716
clinical utility of lsr/a15 gene for mycobacterium leprae detection in leprosy tissues using the polymerase chain reaction.skin biopsy and slit-skin smears from 46 leprosy patients and 4 nonleprosy patients were tested for the presence of mycobacterium leprae by the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) using primers based on the sequence of the lsr/15 kd gene. the pcr was found to be specific and sensitive, with a detection level of 10 and 100 bacilli. pcr using skin biopsies gave a higher detection rate than did slit-skin smears, probably due to the higher density of bacilli in a 4-mm punch biopsy. dot blot hybridizatio ...19957730717
application of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of mycobacterium leprae dna in specimens from treated leprosy patients.in this study of leprosy patients apparently cured by dapsone monotherapy, the polymerase chain reaction (pcr), one of the most reliable and sensitive dna-based assays, was used for the specific detection of mycobacterium leprae dna. sputum and slit-skin samples from 44 such patients at baba baghi leprosy sanatorium in iran were examined. primers for a 530-base-pair fragment of the gene encoding the 36-kda antigen of m. leprae were used for the study. the pcr results were compared with microscop ...19957730718
analysis of vaccines prepared from armadillo-derived m. leprae; results of an inter-laboratory study coordinated by the world health organization. immunology of mycobacterial diseases (immyc) steering committee, world health organization.preparations of armadillo-derived mycobacterium leprae used in vaccine trials were analyzed using a combination of morphological, chemical and immunological criteria. when compared to more recent preparations, vaccine lots prepared in 1984 and 1985 were found to contain fewer intact bacilli and lower amounts of m. leprae antigens. these differences may be characteristic of the original preparations, or alternatively, may have arisen during prolonged storage. the early vaccine lots were those use ...19957730719
identification and purification of armadillo (dasypus novemcinctus) immunoglobulins: preparation of specific antisera to evaluate the immune response in these animals.in this work we describe the purification and characterization of armadillo immunoglobulins. the igm was precipitated using low-strength ionic solution and further purified by filtration through sephadex g-200. the igg was obtained in pure form by precipitation of serum with ammonium sulfate and deae-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. the purity of these immunoglobulins was evaluated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. the results showed 28-kda light chains and 55-kda and 70-kda heavy cha ...19957730720
minocycline in lepromatous leprosy.twelve patients were treated with three dose levels of minocycline for 30 days, primarily to detect the dose-related effects on mycobacterium leprae viability, followed by another 5 months of daily minocycline for overall efficacy and persistence of clinical and antibacterial effects. subsequently, the patients were given standard who/mdt chemotherapy for multibacillary leprosy. clinical improvement was recognizable during the first month, occurring much earlier among those on minocycline 200 mg ...19957730723
mycobacterium leprae iron nutrition: bacterioferritin, mycobactin, exochelin and intracellular growth. 19957730724
acid-fast bacilli from former leprosy regions in coastal norway showing pcr positivity for mycobacterium leprae. 19957730727
igg subclass antibodies to mycobacterial sonicate and recombinant antigens in leprosy.in this study the igg subclass antibodies to sonicated preparations of mycobacterium leprae (leprosin a) and bcg (bcg-s) as well as to purified recombinant 65 kda protein of m. leprae (rml65) were analysed in sera from leprosy patients and healthy household contacts (hfc) and noncontacts (hnc) in a leprosy endemic population. in lbi+ (lepromatous bacterial index positive) patients, igg3 was predominant in the responses to sonicated antigens of m. leprae. following chemotherapy, igg3 responses we ...19957731337
a study on performance of two serological assays for diagnosis of leprosy patients.we compared 2 serological tests for the diagnosis of leprosy to test their performances. the tests include the serum antibody competition test (sact) for the detection of antibodies to mycobacterium leprae-specific epitope on 35 kda protein molecule, and m. leprae gelatin particle agglutination assay (mlpa), for the detection of antiphenolic glycolipid-1 (pgl-1) antibodies. in both the assays a higher serological positivity was seen amongst multibacillary (mb) patients than those in paucibacilla ...19957731338
inhibition of the multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in nude mice by intermittent administration of a new rifamycin derivative, 3'-hydroxy-5'-(4-isobutyl-1-piperazinyl)benzoxazinorifamycin (krm-1648) combined with sparfloxacin.inhibition of the multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in the footpads of nude mice by the oral administration of sparfloxacin, a new quinolone, and 3'-hydroxy-5'-(4-isobutyl-1-piperazinyl)benzoxazinorifamycin (krm-1648), selected from a series of newly synthesized benzoxazinorifamycins, was studied. when the 2 drugs were administered alternately at intervals of 3 or 4 days, (i.e., each drug was administered once weekly), or simultaneously once weekly, between 3 and 5 months after inoculation ...19957731340
[ocular histopathological studies in leprosy in the silent stage--ii. immunohistochemical studies].the distribution of leprosy antigen in 21 eyes from 12 autopsy cases of lepromatous leprosy patients (5 eyes from 3 cases in the silent stage, 16 cases from 9 cases in the active stage) were examined with acid-fast staining and immunohistochemistry. anti-bcg antibody, anti-phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) antibody, and anti-lipoarabinomannan-b (lam-b) antibody were used as primary antigens. in the active stage, anti-bcg antibody and anti-lam-b antibody showed almost the same staining pattern. some ...19957732928
characterization of rna polymerase and two sigma-factor genes from mycobacterium smegmatis.a search for mycobacterium smegmatis genes showing similarity to the conserved family encoding major sigma factors in diverse prokaryotes has identified two such determinants. both genes are expressed in exponentially growing cells, as judged by western immunoassays. a series of chromatographic steps was used to purify m. smegmatis rna polymerase holoenzyme and it was shown that its ability to initiate in vitro transcription with a heterologous bacillus subtilis promoter is dependent on the pres ...19957746156
leprosy-associated renal disease: case report and review of the literature.leprosy is an infectious disease the principal clinical manifestations of which are anesthetic skin lesions and the development of peripheral neuropathy. the most common renal manifestation in leprosy patients is glomerulonephritis. both immunofluorescent and electron microscopic studies suggest that the varied glomerular lesions found in these patients are immune complex mediated. other renal lesions that have been described include amyloidosis, tubulointerstitial disease, acute renal failure, ...19957756586
purification of dna from mycobacterium species without sonication or phenol. 19957727118
bacterial infections: the arthritis of leprosy.arthritis is a common feature of leprosy and contributes to disability. direct invasion of joints and bones by mycobacteria may lead to a destructive arthritis in lepromatous disease. the infective process may involve few or many joints. reactional states may occur spontaneously but usually after the initiation of anti-mycobacterial treatment. in both the type 1 reaction of borderline case and the type 2 reaction of the lepromatous disease, intense inflammation may occur at sites of infection. t ...19957728880
cellular immune response to mycobacterium leprae infection in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals.the immune responses to mycobacterium leprae and other mycobacterial antigens were studied in 11 leprosy patients with concurrent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (hiv-1) infection. three patients manifested borderline lepromatous leprosy, and eight patients had borderline tuberculoid (bt) leprosy. despite the low cd4+ t-cell count in the peripheral blood, no histologic or phenotypic change in the cellular infiltrate in either the lepromatous or tuberculoid lesions was observed when compared ...19957729894
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