Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| production of host-protective (ifn-gamma), host-impairing (il-10, il-13) and inflammatory (tnf-alpha) cytokines by pbmc from leprosy patients stimulated with mycobacterial antigens. | the production of ifngamma, il-10, il-13 and tnfalpha was determined using pbmc from 7 tuberculoid (tt) and 7 lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients, after stimulation with several mycobacterial antigens, in an attempt to characterize the cytokine responses to these antigens. the results showed that tt patients displayed higher ifngamma levels than ll patients with the mycobacterial antigens tested, but no differences in il-10 production were observed between the two groups. mlsc antigen was associat ... | 1998 | 9649657 |
| [an autopsy case of hansen's disease (llp) with numerous m. leprae]. | 1998 | 9656709 | |
| specific serological diagnosis of leprosy with a recombinant mycobacterium leprae protein purified from a rapidly growing mycobacterial host. | in this report we demonstrate the utility of an monoclonal antibody inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on the mycobacterium leprae 35-kda protein, purified from the rapidly growing host mycobacterium smegmatis, for the serodiagnosis of multibacillary leprosy. the assay proved highly specific (97.5%) and sensitive (90%) and compared favorably with two other established methods routinely utilized for leprosy serodiagnosis. | 1998 | 9666025 |
| a bacterial cytokine. | viable cells of micrococcus luteus secrete a factor, which promotes the resuscitation and growth of dormant, nongrowing cells of the same organism. the resuscitation-promoting factor (rpf) is a protein, which has been purified to homogeneity. in picomolar concentrations, it increases the viable cell count of dormant m. luteus cultures at least 100-fold and can also stimulate the growth of viable cells. rpf also stimulates the growth of several other high g+c gram-positive organisms, including my ... | 1998 | 9671779 |
| leprosy: a post-elimination research agenda. | 1998 | 9675797 | |
| synthesis and nmr analysis of 13c-labeled oligosaccharides corresponding to the major glycolipid from mycobacterium leprae. | an improved synthesis of propyl 4-o-(3,6-di-o-methyl- beta-d-glucopyranosyl)-2,3-di-o-methyl-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside, a disaccharide corresponding to the phenolic glycolipid of mycobacterium leprae using a trichloroacetimidate as a glycosyl donor is described. the synthetic strategy is also applied to the preparation of three corresponding disaccharide analogues containing 13c-labeled methyl groups. the preparation of the trisaccharide, propyl 2-o-[4-o-(3,6-di-o-methyl-beta-d-glucopyranosyl)-2, ... | 1998 | 9679274 |
| expression and cytokine secretion in the states of immune reactivation in leprosy. | leprosy is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. the human response to this pathogen exhibits intriguing aspects which are up to now not well understood. the present study discusses the probable mechanisms involved in t cell-specific unresponsiveness observed in lepromatous patients. analysis of the cytokine profile either in blood leukocytes or in skin specimens taken from leprosy lesions indicates that some parameters of th1 immune response are present in lepromatous p ... | 1998 | 9686181 |
| evaluation of three mycobacterium leprae monoclonal antibodies in mucus and lymph samples from ziehl-neelsen stain negative leprosy patients and their household contacts in an indian community. | mucus and lymph smears collected from leprosy patients (9) and their household contacts (44) in the caño mochuelo indian reservation, casanare, colombia, were examined with monoclonal antibodies (moab) against mycobacterium leprae. the individuals studied were: 5 borderline leprosy (bb) patients, 4 with a lepromatous leprosy (ll), all of whom were undergoing epidemiological surveillance after treatment and 44 household contacts: 21 of the ll and 23 contacts of the bb patients. the moab were reac ... | 1998 | 9711338 |
| alterations in early biochemical events following t cell activation in leprosy patients. | the early events of activation and cytokine profiles (il-2, 4, and 6) were studied in lymphocytes of paucibacillary (tt/bt) and multibacillary (bl/ll) leprosy patients after stimulation with pma/a23187 and mycobacterium leprae antigen (pgl-1). lymphocytes from bt/tt patients showed proliferation in response to both pma/a23187 and pgl-1 compared to bl/ll. the levels of early activation signaling molecules such as ip3, calcium, and protein kinase c (pkc) in the particulate fraction were found to b ... | 1998 | 9714691 |
| leprosy transmission and mucosal immunity: towards eradication? | the declining prevalence of leprosy has not been matched by a declining incidence. widespread adoption of multiple drug therapy (mdt) in closely monitored control programmes has not prevented transmission of mycobacterium leprae. despite the rarity of lepromatous patients, most of those living in endemic areas have immunological evidence of exposure to m. leprae. this paradox could be explained if, for many such individuals, infection was transient, did not result in disease development, but did ... | 1998 | 9715595 |
| choosing the decolourizer and its strength to stain mycobacterium leprae. does it actually matter? | leprosy bacilli are more easily decolourized during staining than tuberculosis bacilli, so a weaker concentration of decolourizer is usually recommended. in indonesia, the same 'strong' decolourizer is used for identifying both organisms. in a study to compare the results using different concentrations of different decolourizers, no difference could be found in the bacterial index (bi). it is suggested that the same staining technique can be used for tuberculosis and leprosy. | 1998 | 9715597 |
| the use of whole blood in a dipstick assay for detection of antibodies to mycobacterium leprae: a field evaluation. | we describe a further simplification of a dipstick assay for the detection of antibodies to phenolic glycolipid i of mycobacterium leprae by using whole blood and evaluated the assay performance in the leprosy endemic area of amazonas in brazil. the agreement with the 'gold' standard elisa was 94.9% (kappa value = 0.87). this simple assay may be useful to identify those at risk of developing leprosy, for example among contacts of leprosy patients at lower levels in the health services. | 1998 | 9718209 |
| macrophage nramp1 and its role in resistance to microbial infections. | the identification and characterization of genetic factors influencing natural susceptibility to infectious diseases in humans and in model organisms, such as the laboratory mouse, can provide new insight into the basic mechanisms of host defense against infections. in the mouse, resistance or susceptibility to infection with intracellular pathogens such as salmonella, mycobacterium and leishmnania is controlled by the natural resistance associated macrophage protein (nramp1) gene on chromosome ... | 1998 | 9719491 |
| is pgl-1 also present in leishmania donovani promastigotes? | a soluble antigen complex (sac) derived from the ruptured promastigotes of leishmania donovani parasites (ld-sac) was used for complement fixation test (cft) in leprosy cases of tuberculoid and borderline tuberculoid leprosy, post-kala azar dermal leishmaniasis (tt, bt, pkdl) and control sera gave negative cft. smear-positive cases of borderline (bb, bl) and lepromatous (ll) leprosy and drug-resisting cases of pulmonary tuberculosis gave positive cft; smear-negative cases of ll leprosy sera also ... | 1998 | 9724851 |
| single dose multidrug therapy for single lesion paucibacillry leprosy. | 1998 | 9724861 | |
| b7-1, but not cd28, is crucial for the maintenance of the cd4+ t cell responses in human leprosy. | we used human leprosy as a model to compare patterns of costimulatory molecule expression in respect to the clinical/immunologic spectrum of disease. we found that b7-1, b7-2, and cd28 transcripts dominated in tuberculoid leprosy patients, who have potent t cell responses to mycobacterium leprae. in contrast, ctla-4 was more strongly expressed in lesions from lepromatous patients, who manifest specific t cell anergy to the leprosy bacterium. t cell clones from tuberculoid lesions were cd4+cd28+ ... | 1998 | 9725237 |
| epidemiological significance of first skin lesion in leprosy. | the epidemiological significance of monolesions in leprosy and the possible inferences on the mode of entry by mycobacterium leprae into the body are presented based on data from the clinical records of the leprosy control programme of gudiyatham taluk in india; 660 children with monolesions (335 males, 305 females) younger than 15 years of age and detected during the period 1990-1995 were included in the study. detailed investigations on the location of monolesions were carried out and compared ... | 1998 | 9728445 |
| spontaneous leprosy in a wild-caught cynomolgus macaque. | naturally occurring mycobacterium leprae has been previously documented in only two species of nonhuman primates from west africa--the chimpanzee and the sooty mangabey. we report here the first known case of spontaneous leprosy in an asian macaque. a wild-caught cynomolgus macaque imported from the philippines developed a reaction to a tuberculin skin test after 3 years at the california regional primate research center (crprc), university of california-davis, davis, california, u.s.a. biopsies ... | 1998 | 9728446 |
| why relapse occurs in pb leprosy patients after adequate mdt despite they are mitsuda reactive: lessons form convit's experiment on bacteria-clearing capacity of lepromin-induced granuloma. | it is amazing how after years of scientific research and therapeutic progress many simple and basic questions about protective immunity against mycobacterium leprae remain unanswered. although the world health organization (who) has recommended short-term multidrug therapy (who/mdt) for the treatment of paucibacillary (pb) leprosy patients, from time to time several workers from different parts of the globe have reported inadequate clinical responses in a few tuberculoid and indeterminate lepros ... | 1998 | 9728450 |
| two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of humoral responses to culture filtrate of mycobacterium bovis bcg in patients with leprosy and tuberculosis. | sera from 3 lepromatous (ll), 3 borderline lepromatous (bl), 3 mid-borderline (bb), 3 borderline tuberculoid (bt), 2 tuberculoid (tt) and 4 tuberculosis (tb) patients and 3 healthy individuals were examined for their reactivities against the proteins in the culture filtrate of bcg separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-de). the sera were obtained from patients who were untreated. sera from ll and bl patients reacted strongly with the antigen 85 (ag85) complex and mpb51. sera from ll and ... | 1998 | 9728453 |
| correlation of oral surface temperatures and the lesions of leprosy. | a short review of the literature on the optimum temperature for the growth of mycobacterium leprae is followed by a report of an investigation into the correlation of oral surface temperatures with oral leprous lesions. it is concluded that the oral lesions of leprosy occur more frequently in areas of the mouth with a lower surface temperature. | 1998 | 9728454 |
| serologic assays using the 18-kda antigen of mycobacterium leprae expressed in the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae. | 1998 | 9728462 | |
| collagen profile in sciatic nerves of m. leprae-inoculated mice correlates with in vitro collagen production by schwann cells. | 1998 | 9728463 | |
| antibody response to klebsiella pneumoniae 60 kda protein in familial and sporadic ankylosing spondylitis: role of hla-b27 and characterization as a groel-like protein. | to study the antibody response of hla-b27+ patients with ankylosing spondylitis (as) and their first degree relatives to the 60 kda protein of klebsiella pneumoniae and to characterize this protein. | 1998 | 9733457 |
| oxidative stress response and characterization of the oxyr-ahpc and fura-katg loci in mycobacterium marinum. | oxidative stress response in pathogenic mycobacteria is believed to be of significance for host-pathogen interactions at various stages of infection. it also plays a role in determining the intrinsic susceptibility to isoniazid in mycobacterial species. in this work, we characterized the oxyr-ahpc and fura-katg loci in the nontuberculous pathogen mycobacterium marinum. in contrast to mycobacterium smegmatis and like mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae, m. marinum was shown to pos ... | 1998 | 9733688 |
| neuritic hansen's disease: an unusual presentation and a diagnostic challenge on fine-needle aspirate. | fine-needle aspiration cytology is now routinely used in the diagnosis of cervical lumps. we report on a case of leprous neuritis which presented as a cervical swelling. a diagnosis of leprosy was suggested on the basis of globi within histiocytes. these histiocytes differed from those classically described in leprosy. retrospective review demonstrated the presence of occasional nerve fragments, and some of these closely resembled granulomas. the possible close resemblance of this lesion to tube ... | 1998 | 9740995 |
| changes in cellular response to mycobacterial antigens and cytokine production patterns in leprosy patients during multiple drug therapy. | changes in mycobacterium leprae-induced lymphoproliferative responses and mediator release by leprosy patients' lymphocytes were followed during multiple drug therapy (mdt). at the time of diagnosis, multibacillary (mb) patients who did not develop reactions responded to both sonicated m. leprae and synthetic disaccharide coupled to bovine serum albumin (nd-bsa) antigens, but those who would later develop reactions did not respond, even in the presence of added cytokines. the paucibacillary (pb) ... | 1998 | 9741341 |
| the possible role of interleukin (il)-12 and interferon-gamma-inducing factor/il-18 in protection against experimental mycobacterium leprae infection in mice. | cell-mediated immunity participates in host defense against mycobacterial infection. both interleukin 12 (il-12) and interferon-gamma-inducing factor (igif/il-18), produced mainly by macrophages, play a critical role in expression of cell-mediated immunity. to investigate the role of il-12 and igif/il-18 in vivo, we examined cytokine profile, bacterial growth, and the potential benefit of cytokine therapy in susceptible and resistant mice infected with mycobacterium leprae. the early expression ... | 1998 | 9743608 |
| t-cell recognition of mycobacterial groes peptides in thai leprosy patients and contacts. | we report here the mapping of t-cell-stimulatory determinants of the groes 10-kda heat shock protein homologues from mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis, which are known as major immunogens in mycobacterial infections. peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) from treated tuberculoid leprosy or lepromatous leprosy patients and from healthy household or hospital staff contacts of the patients were cultured with 20 16-mer peptides covering the entire sequences of both m. leprae an ... | 1998 | 9746595 |
| pathogenesis of chronic bacterial infections. | 1998 | 9746939 | |
| phosphorylation of mycobacterium leprae heat-shock 70 protein at threonine 175 alters its substrate binding characteristics. | we have examined the functional properties including autophosphorylation of the mycobacterium leprae hsp70 homologue. recombinant m. leprae hsp70 had ph optima for its adenosine triphosphatase and autophosphorylating activities which were near ph 8 and 6, respectively. both these activities were inhibited by reduced and alkylated bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, but not other tested substrates. autophosphorylation was augmented by up to 25 mm ca2+. using site-directed mutagenesis to construc ... | 1998 | 9748655 |
| identification of a dna fragment encoding a putative membrane transporter protein expressed in sporothrix schenckii. | we have isolated two dna fragments from sporothrix schenckii. these fragments were nonspecifically amplified from the whole-cell dna using polymerase chain reaction (pcr) primers originally designed in the gene encoding heat shock protein 70 of mycobacterium leprae. reverse transcription pcr demonstrated that the smaller (sp-2) fragment was expressed, and a database search indicated that the deduced amino acids sequence from the sp-2 fragment contained a region homologous to the conserved sequen ... | 1998 | 9750340 |
| delayed-type hypersensitivity to mycobacterium leprae soluble antigens as a test for infection with the leprosy bacillus. | mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) soluble antigen (mlsa) reagents have been developed with the aim of finding a reagent, comparable to tuberculin, which could identify individuals infected with the leprosy bacillus. they have yet to be evaluated fully in human populations. | 1998 | 9758130 |
| crystal structure of an octameric ruva-holliday junction complex. | holliday junctions occur as intermediates in homologous recombination and dna repair. in bacteria, resolution of holliday junctions is accomplished by the ruvabc system, consisting of a junction-specific helicase complex ruvab, which promotes branch migration, and a junction-specific endonuclease ruvc, which nicks two strands. the crystal structure of a complex between the ruva protein of m. leprae and a synthetic four-way junction has now been determined. rather than binding on the open surface ... | 1998 | 9774974 |
| [characterization of phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) like antigen in renal cell carcinoma]. | we investigated whether phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) produced by mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae), can be used as a marker of renal tumors. | 1998 | 9780652 |
| lepromatous uveitis diagnosed by iris biopsy. | ocular leprosy is rarely seen in developed countries. we report the long-term follow-up of a patient with bilateral uveitis, glaucoma, and keratitis. skin, iris and aqueous humor biopsies disclosed abundant wade-fite-positive organisms consistent with mycobacterium leprae. leprosy must be considered in the differential diagnosis of keratitis and uveitis. | 1998 | 9782435 |
| characterization of a 34-kilodalton protein of mycobacterium leprae that is isologous to the immunodominant 34-kilodalton antigen of mycobacterium paratuberculosis. | during dna sequence analysis of cosmid l373 from the mycobacterium leprae genome, an open reading frame of 1.4 kb encoding a protein with some homology to the immunodominant 34-kda protein of mycobacterium paratuberculosis, but lacking significant serological activity, was detected. the dna sequence predicted a signal peptide with a modified lipoprotein consensus sequence, but the protein proved to be devoid of lipid attachment. | 1998 | 9784577 |
| factors influencing the in vitro growth of mycobacterium leprae: effect of inoculum. | factors responsible for the in vitro growth of mycobacterium leprae in dhople-hanks (dh) medium, and also to improve the technique devised earlier, and the source of the m. leprae used as inoculum, were investigated. m. leprae were obtained from armadillos and nude mice, both inoculated earlier with human- or armadillo-derived m. leprae. the growth of m. leprae in dh medium was monitored using two biochemical indicators. normal growth was obtained when inocula were from livers and spleens of m. ... | 1998 | 9785489 |
| immunoregulation of cytokines in infectious diseases (leprosy), future strategies. | leprosy is a dynamic disease model in which distinct mycobacterium leprae-responsive t cell subsets play an important role in host defense and control clinical and immunological spectrum. th1 cells are associated with tuberculoid leprosy patients that have strong m. leprae-specific cmi-dth responses. th2 cells are expressed in lepromatous leprosy patients that are characterized by strong humoral immune responses and lack of t cell responses. recently cytokines are thought to play immunoregulator ... | 1998 | 9785841 |
| [morphological features to be considered as the growth of mycobacterium leprae thai-53 strain on a silicon coated slide in a cell-free liquid medium]. | morphological findings of the cells of mycobacterium leprae thai-53 strain smeared on a silicon-coated slide cultured in kirchner liquid medium ph 7.0, enriched with adenosine, egg yolk, folinic acid, vitamin k3, lecithin, and n-acetylglucosamine at 30 degrees c were demonstrated. on the basis of the results with exquisite morphological growth patterns and the increase in the amount of tempelate dna prepared from the cultured cells, it is evident that the cells of m.leprae are capable of multipl ... | 1998 | 9785844 |
| gene organization in the trxa/b-oric region of the streptomyces coelicolor chromosome and comparison with other eubacteria. | the gene organization was determined in the trxa/b-rnpa region of the streptomyces coelocolor chromosome, near to the origin of replication, oric. previously, we showed that the trxa and trxb genes, coding for thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase, respectively, occur in s. coelicolor as a gene cluster and are contained on a cosmid h24 that carries oric and several genes involved in dna replication. here we show that the trxa/b locus is positioned approx. 9.4kb from oric, present the nucleotide ... | 1998 | 9795152 |
| conjunctival biopsy in patients with leprosy. | the authors examined the eyes of 120 leprosy patients comprising of 30 cases each of tuberculoid, indeterminate, borderline and lepromatous leprosy. the investigation included biopsy of the bulbar conjunctiva on the upper temporal quadrant of the right eye. the study patients included both who were untreated, those that were being treated and those who were in observation after the end of treatment. the aim of the study was to identify the presence of m. leprae in the conjunctiva. four such case ... | 1998 | 9801902 |
| management of ocular problems in leprosy. | 1998 | 9801903 | |
| experimental leprosy in rhesus monkeys: transmission, susceptibility, clinical and immunological findings. | a total of 46 rhesus monkeys (rm) was inoculated with mycobacterium leprae (ml) and followed clinically and immunologically for extended periods. twenty-one (45.7%) of the rm developed leprosy spanning the known leprosy spectrum, with six of 21 (28.6%) having disease in the borderline lepromatous to lepromatous area of the spectrum. rm with paucibacillary forms of leprosy produced predominantly igg anti-phenolic glycolipid (pgl-i) antibodies and positive lepromin skin test and/or in vitro blasto ... | 1998 | 9805879 |
| in vitro studies on extracellular matrix production by m.leprae infected murine neurofibroblasts. | fibroblasts and a host of macrophage secretory products have been implicated in a number of diseases where excess extracellular matrix (ecm) deposition is the main pathological feature. fibrosis characterized by excessive deposition of collagen also contributes to the irreversible nerve damage observed in leprosy. since m. leprae are seen within neurofibroblasts (nf) in the advanced stages of the disease and macrophages form a common infiltrating cellular constituent of leprous nerves at all sta ... | 1998 | 9805880 |
| use of a whole blood assay to monitor the immune response to mycobacterial antigens in leprosy patients: a predictor for type 1 reaction onset? | longitudinal studies are more appropriate than cross-sectional studies for investigating changes in the immune response to mycobacterium leprae during leprosy, such as occur in type 1 (reversal) reactions. a test for predicting the onset of reactions in leprosy would greatly reduce disability associated with leprosy. whole blood assays are appropriate for longitudinal studies of the in vitro t-cell response, as they are robust and reproducible, and require only a small volume of blood. whole blo ... | 1998 | 9805883 |
| an inducible expression system permitting the efficient purification of a recombinant antigen from mycobacterium smegmatis. | a novel expression vector utilising the highly inducible acetamidase promoter of mycobacterium smegmatis was constructed. high-level induction of a model antigen, the mycobacterium leprae 35 kda protein, was demonstrated in recombinant m. smegmatis grown in the presence of the acetamidase inducer acetamide. the recombinant protein could be simply and efficiently purified from the bacterial sonicate by virtue of a c-terminal 6-histidine tag, demonstrating that this purification strategy can be us ... | 1998 | 9809415 |
| a synthetic holliday junction is sandwiched between two tetrameric mycobacterium leprae ruva structures in solution: new insights from neutron scattering contrast variation and modelling. | the interaction between homologous dna molecules in recombination and dna repair leads to the formation of crossover intermediates known as holliday junctions. their enzymatic processing by the ruvabc system in bacteria involves the formation of a complex between ruva and the holliday junction. to study the solution structure of this complex, contrast variation by neutron scattering was applied to mycobacterium leprae ruva (mleruva), a synthetic analogue of a holliday junction with 16 base-pairs ... | 1998 | 9813125 |
| thioredoxin reductase-thioredoxin fusion enzyme from mycobacterium leprae: comparison with the separately expressed thioredoxin reductase. | thioredoxin reductase (trxr) catalyzes the reduction of thioredoxin (trx) by nadph. a unique gene organization of trxr and trx has been found in mycobacterium leprae, where trxr and trx are encoded by a single gene and, therefore, are expressed as a fusion protein (mltrxr-trx). this fusion enzyme is able to catalyze the reduction of thioredoxin or 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) or 1, 4-naphthoquinone by nadph, though the activity is much lower than that of escherichia coli trxr. it has been ... | 1998 | 9819230 |
| interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-alpha) are necessary in the early stages of induction of cd4 and cd8 cytotoxic t cells by mycobacterium leprae heat shock protein (hsp) 65 kd. | cytotoxic t cells (ctl) may play an important role in host defence against mycobacterial infections. cd4 ctl are preferentially induced by mycobacteria, but both cd4 and cd8 ctl may be necessary components of a protective immune response. the 65-kd mycobacterium heat shock protein (hsp65) is a poor inducer of ctl in multibacillary leprosy (mb) patients. in this study we evaluate the possible role of cytokines in modulating the cytotoxic activity of ctl from leprosy patients and normal individual ... | 1998 | 9822276 |
| leprosy patients with lepromatous disease recognize cross-reactive t cell epitopes in the mycobacterium leprae 10-kd antigen. | t cell responses play a critical role in determining protective responses to leprosy. patients with self-limiting tuberculoid leprosy show high t cell reactivity, while patients with disseminated lepromatous form of the disease show absent to low levels of t cell reactivity. since the t cell reactivity of lepromatous patients to purified protein derivative (ppd), a highly cross-reactive antigen, is similar to that of tuberculoid patients, we queried if lepromatous patients could recognize cross- ... | 1998 | 9822277 |
| activation of human monocytes induces differential resistance to apoptosis with rapid down regulation of caspase-8/flice. | cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage play a central role in both innate and acquired immunity of the host. however, the acquisition of functional competence and the ability to respond to a variety of activating or modulating signals require maturation and differentiation of circulating monocytes and entail alterations in both biochemical and phenotypic profiles of the cells. the process of activation also confers survival signals essential for the functional integrity of monocytes enabling t ... | 1998 | 9826696 |
| anti m. leprae igm antibody determination by ultramicroimmunoenzymatic (umelisa hansen) for the diagnosis and monitoring leprosy. | the relationship between the igm antibody response, antigenic load as well as the clinical improvement after chemotherapy was studied in order to obtain useful data for the early diagnosis and monitoring leprosy. a level of 82% (94/115) agreement was obtained between igm umelisa hansen and slit-skin smear examination. discrepant results were observed in 16 patients who showed positive igm response despite negative by the skin smear examination. in these patients, the igm response was seen to be ... | 1998 | 9830732 |
| isolation of recombinant phage clones expressing mycobacterial t cell antigens by screening a recombinant dna library with human cd4+ th1 clones. | a lambda gt11 recombinant dna library of mycobacterium leprae was screened to isolate recombinant phage clones expressing mycobacterial antigens important for t cell reactivity. the library was plated on a lawn of escherichia coli y1090 and recombinant antigens were expressed from isolated phage clones in 96-well plates. pools of recombinant antigens from 12 wells were tested in t cell proliferation assays with mhc class ii restricted human cd4+ th1 clones secreting interferon-gamma and cytotoxi ... | 1998 | 9848681 |
| role of alpha-dystroglycan as a schwann cell receptor for mycobacterium leprae. | alpha-dystroglycan (alpha-dg) is a component of the dystroglycan complex, which is involved in early development and morphogenesis and in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies. here, alpha-dg was shown to serve as a schwann cell receptor for mycobacterium leprae, the causative organism of leprosy. mycobacterium leprae specifically bound to alpha-dg only in the presence of the g domain of the alpha2 chain of laminin-2. native alpha-dg competitively inhibited the laminin-2-mediated m. leprae bi ... | 1998 | 9851927 |
| study of gene probes in childhood leprosy. | the objective was to detect nucleic acids of m. leprae in skin lesions of leprosy patients and study the effect of treatment on these nucleic acids, using r-rna gene probes, using a cross sectional study. the study was carried out at department of paediatrics, s.n. medical college, agra and department of microbiology, central jalma institute for leprosy, agra. the study included 32 cases of leprosy less than 16 years of age, divided into 3 groups viz. without treatment (12 cases), in middle of t ... | 1998 | 10771952 |
| differential in vitro modulation of schwann cell proliferation by mycobacterium leprae and macrophages in the murine strains, swiss white and c57bl/6. | the special susceptibility of schwann cells (scs) to parasitization by m. leprae and of macrophages to m. leprae-induced defects implicates them in leprous nerve pathogenesis. sc proliferation is an important prerequisite for peripheral nerve regeneration and is regulated by a number of secretory factors. several of these factors are secreted by scs themselves as well as by the macrophages which are recruited at the site of lesion to assist in regeneration. sc proliferation, as indicated by 3h-t ... | 1998 | 10959251 |
| levels of igg subclasses in active and inactive cases in the disease spectrum of leprosy. | the present study was carried out to establish the role of igg subclasses in leprosy. igg subclasses to mycobacterium leprae sonicated antigens (mlsa) and phenolic glycolipid-i (pgl-i) were determined in 124 patients with active leprosy across the disease spectrum and in 76 cases with inactive disease after completion of chemotherapy. igg2 antibodies were found to be the predominant subclass across the disease spectrum. lepromatous patients showed elevated levels of iggi. igg3 antibody levels we ... | 1998 | 9430497 |
| leprosy and tuberculosis: the epidemiological consequences of cross-immunity. | this study tested the hypothesis, first proposed by chaussinand, that individual-level immunity acquired from exposure to tuberculosis may have contributed to the disappearance of leprosy from western europe. | 1997 | 9431277 |
| sequence data analysis reveals a relationship between lsr2, the recombinant fusion protein mimicing m. leprae and vif of bovine immunodeficiency virus (biv). | in the course of computer simulation study looking for active sites for the interaction between mhc ii and t7--a 12 residue long peptide of lsr2--a recombinant fusion protein mimicing the native bacillus m.leprae--an interesting relationship between the antigenicity of lsr2 and vif of bif has come to light. computer analysis study has revealed this stretch of residue from 36 to 48 of lsr2 is highly antigenic. the experimental observation seems to confirm the role of this 12 residue peptide in an ... | 1997 | 9440006 |
| skin smears in leprosy: is reduction in number of sites justified? | an analysis of 377 sets of positive skin smears of leprosy patients was done to determine the minimum sites needed to detect all smear positive leprosy patients. a combination of earlobe and a selective site could pick up 95.5% of the patients. an additional smear from the forehead increased the sensitivity of 97.7%. the results suggest that the sites for skin smears may be reduced to a combination of the earlobe and one selective site smear from a skin lesion to be able to detect most smear pos ... | 1997 | 9447251 |
| ability of lymphokine-activated killer cells to lyse mycobacteria-infected cells. | lymphokine-activated killer (lak) cells were generated by interleukin-2 activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients and healthy individuals. the ability of lak cells to lyse targets (macrophages and t-24, a bladder carcinoma cell line) infected with mycobacteria (mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterial strain icrc) was assessed in a 51 chromium-release assay. it was observed that lak cells generated from ll patients and healthy individuals could pref ... | 1997 | 9447253 |
| viability determination of m.leprae: comparison of normal mouse foot pad and bacillary atp bioluminescence assay. | correlation between viability assessment by mouse foot pad and atp bioluminescence was studied in biopsy specimens from multibacillary leprosy cases. biopsies were processed for inoculation into mouse foot pad and estimation of bacillary atp levels by bioluminescent assay by earlier established procedures. atp content as pg/million bacilli was estimated and correlation was assessed with growth in the mouse foot pad. it was observed that when the atp content was > 36 pg/million bacterial cells, ( ... | 1997 | 9447254 |
| microdensitometric scanning procedure for quantitative assessment of hybridization of rrna targeting probes in leprosy. | in order to develop an objective criteria of grading of positivity of hybridization signals of gene probes targeting rrna, a microdensitometric scanning procedure was standardised. ribosomal rna was extracted from the bacilli harvested from biopsies of leprosy cases across the spectrum and blotted on nitro-cellulose membranes. m. leprae specific rrna targeting oligonucleotide probes were end-labelled and hybridization was done by the technique standardised and published earlier. the autoradiogra ... | 1997 | 9447255 |
| further sequence analysis of the dna regions with the rhodococcus 20s proteasome structural genes reveals extensive homology with mycobacterium leprae. | the sequence of the respective dna regions downstream of the 20s proteasome structural genes prcb1a1 (6 kb) and prcb2a2 (3.3 kb) of rhodococcus erythropolis ni86/21 were determined. a highly conserved gene organization was observed between the two clusters which differed significantly in g + c content (68.8% versus 62.6%). several orfs were homologues of putative genes previously identified by genomic sequencing of the equivalent dna in the related nocardioform actinomycete, mycobacterium leprae ... | 1997 | 9254018 |
| a macrophage invasion mechanism of pathogenic mycobacteria. | tuberculosis is the leading cause of death due to an infectious organism, killing an estimated 3 million people annually. mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, and other pathogenic mycobacteria require entry into host macrophages to initiate infection. an invasion mechanism was defined that was shared among pathogenic mycobacteria including m. tuberculosis, m. leprae, and m. avium but not by nonpathogenic mycobacteria or nonmycobacterial intramacrophage pathogens. this ... | 1997 | 9262476 |
| multiplex sequencing of 1.5 mb of the mycobacterium leprae genome. | the nucleotide sequence of 1.5 mb of genomic dna from mycobacterium leprae was determined using computer-assisted multiplex sequencing technology. this brings the 2.8-mb m. leprae genome sequence to approximately 66% completion. the sequences, derived from 43 recombinant cosmids, contain 1046 putative protein-coding genes, 44 repetitive regions, 3 trnas, and 15 trnas. the gene density of one per 1.4 kb is slightly lower than that of mycoplasma (1.2 kb). of the protein coding genes, 44% have sign ... | 1997 | 9267804 |
| inhibition of multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in mouse foot pads by immunization with ribosomal fraction and culture filtrate from mycobacterium bovis bcg. | immunization of mice with the ribosomal fraction from ruptured mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette-guérin (bcg) and the culture filtrate reduced remarkably the multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in the foot pads of mice. this is the first reported case of the protective activity against m. leprae multiplication in mice of the bcg ribosomal fraction and culture filtrate. the inhibition was more evident with the culture filtrate than with the ribosomal fraction. when the ribosomal proteins s ... | 1997 | 9286046 |
| whither short-course chemotherapy for leprosy? | 1997 | 9290962 | |
| mycobacterium leprae: biochemical studies of clinical relevance. | 1997 | 9290969 | |
| characterization of leprosy based on the nasal lipid profile. | while extracting the m. leprae from the nasal flushings of leprosy patients it was found that these organisms were trapped in the waxy layer, between the aqueous and the chloroform layers. thin layer chromotography (tlc) analysis of this layer, using chloroform-methanol-water system, revealed different spots when sprayed with acid alcohol and heated at 160 degrees c. the tlc profile of lipids of lepromatous and borderline (mb according to the who terminology) leprosy patients was distinctly diff ... | 1997 | 9290970 |
| preparation of thymectomized irradiated (t900r) mice: a modification. | 1997 | 9290979 | |
| [many undefined problems in hansen's disease]. | 1997 | 9301204 | |
| [micro-cytology of leprosy bacilli in-situ]. | 1997 | 9301205 | |
| high relapse rate among lepromatous leprosy patients treated with rifampin plus ofloxacin daily for 4 weeks. | fifty-one lepromatous leprosy patients, all of whom had relapsed after previous dapsone (dds) monotherapy, were treated between 1990 and 1991 with 600 mg of rifampin (rmp) plus 400 mg of ofloxacin (oflo) daily for 4 weeks, and the great majority of the patients were followed up at least once a year after completion of the treatment. after only 173 patient-years of follow-up, 5 relapses had been detected; the overall relapse rate was 10.0% (confidence limits, 1.7 and 18.3%), or 2.9 relapses (conf ... | 1997 | 9303392 |
| igm anti-phenolic glycolipid i and igg anti-10-kda heat shock protein antibodies in sera and immune complexes isolated from leprosy patients with or without erythema nodosum leprosum and contacts. | the aim of the present work was to evaluate the levels of anti-pgl-i and anti-10-kda heat shock protein antibodies in serum and immune complexes isolated from leprosy patients, convivients and controls. leprosy patients with erythema nodosum leprosum or without it were included and a comparative study was done to investigate intergroup differences. immune complexes were precipitated from serum by polyethylene glycol 3.5%; antibody levels were measured in sera and in dissociated immune complexes ... | 1997 | 9322070 |
| characterization of the rpoc gene of streptomyces coelicolor a3(2) and its use to develop a simple and rapid method for the purification of rna polymerase. | the streptomyces coelicolor rpoc gene, that encodes the beta' subunit of rna polymerase, was isolated using the escherichia coli rpoc gene as a hybridization probe. comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the s. coelicolor beta' subunit to those characterized from other bacteria revealed three distinct subfamilies of beta' subunits, one of which consists of the s. coelicolor subunit and those from mycobacterium leprae and mycoplasma genitalium. using site-directed mutagenesis, the car ... | 1997 | 9322738 |
| schwann cell extracellular matrix protein production is modulated by mycobacterium leprae and macrophage secretory products. | extracellular matrix (ecm) protein deposition is an important feature of leprous nerves, where schwann cells (scs) and macrophages are the main hosts for mycobacterium leprae. since, scs are involved in the synthesis of ecm proteins and its production is regulated by macrophage secretory factors, the present study aimed to determine in vitro, the effect of m. leprae infection and macrophage secretory products on secretion of ecm proteins by scs in two strains of mice, swiss white (sw) and c57bl/ ... | 1997 | 9335004 |
| interactions between cationic liposomes and an antigenic protein: the physical chemistry of the immunoadjuvant action. | the 18 kda antigenic protein from mycobacterium leprae (p) or its n-acyl derivative (ap) was incorporated in dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (dodab) liposomes in water or in phosphate-buffered saline (pbs). in water, 100% p incorporation in liposomes contrasts with 65% in pbs. there is 75-80% ap incorporation to liposomes in water against 55-65% in pbs, showing that attachment of hydrophobic residues to the protein, instead of increasing, further decreases incorporation to the liposomes. fro ... | 1997 | 9374123 |
| reversal reaction in borderline leprosy is associated with a polarized shift to type 1-like mycobacterium leprae t cell reactivity in lesional skin: a follow-up study. | borderline leprosy patients often undergo acute changes in immune reactivity that manifest as reversal reaction (rr) in the course of the disease. rr is associated with an exacerbated local delayed-type cellular immune response to mycobacterium leprae and is responsible for severe tissue damage. we investigated whether rr episodes are associated with a change in t cell subsets in the lesional skin with regard to their cytokine secretion profiles. m. leprae-responsive t cell lines and thereafter ... | 1997 | 9379047 |
| a novel mycobacterial antigen relevant to cellular immunity belongs to a family of secreted lipoproteins. | the gene sequence of a novel 24.1 kda mycobacterium tuberculosis protein was identified within the sanger centre (uk) m. tuberculosis genome database (cosmid mtcy24g1) by searching with a 126 bp dna sequence isolated from a genomic m. leprae lambda gt11 library with m. leprae reactive human t cell clones as probes. the 24.1 kda antigen is common to the vaccine strain mycobacterium bovis bcg, as well as mycobacterium leprae. the 699 bp open reading frame encodes a 233 amino acid long precursor pr ... | 1997 | 9393626 |
| down-regulatory effect of mycobacterium leprae cell wall lipids on phagocytosis, oxidative respiratory burst and tumour cell killing by mouse bone marrow derived macrophages. | the authors have previously demonstrated that lipids from mycobacterium leprae cell walls inhibit macrophage functions and are endowed with anti-inflammatory properties in vivo. to investigate these observations further, the authors describe here the influence of dead m. leprae or of the lipids extracted from the cell wall of the mycobacterium, enclosed in liposomes, on the phagocytic, oxidative respiratory burst and tumouricidal ability of bone marrow derived macrophages in vitro. dead m. lepra ... | 1997 | 9393633 |
| mtc28, a novel 28-kilodalton proline-rich secreted antigen specific for the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. | proteins that are actively secreted by mycobacterium tuberculosis serve as major targets of immune responses in the infected host. to identify and purify novel proteins in the filtrates of m. tuberculosis cultures, a bacteriophage lambda library of m. tuberculosis h37rv dna was immunoscreened by using an anti-culture filtrate rabbit antiserum. of 20 positive clones isolated, 6 were analyzed and found to express the genes for two known components of the early culture filtrate, the secreted 45/47- ... | 1997 | 9393781 |
| ccs1, a nuclear gene required for the post-translational assembly of chloroplast c-type cytochromes. | nuclear genes play important regulatory roles in the biogenesis of the photosynthetic apparatus of eukaryotic cells by encoding factors that control steps ranging from chloroplast gene transcription to post-translational processes. however, the identities of these genes and the mechanisms by which they govern these processes are largely unknown. by using glass bead-mediated transformation to generate insertional mutations in the nuclear genome of chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we have generated four ... | 1997 | 9395519 |
| a eukaryotic xpb/ercc3-like helicase in mycobacterium leprae? | 1997 | 9397681 | |
| a follow-up study of multibacillary hansen's disease patients treated with multidrug therapy (mdt) or mdt + immunotherapy (imt). | multibacillary (mb) leprosy patients treated with multidrug therapy (mdt) or mdt + immunotherapy (imt) with bcg + heat-killed mycobacterium leprae were tested annually for their ability to proliferate in vitro to the mycobacterial antigens bcg, m. leprae soluble extract, and intact m. leprae. igm antibody responses to phenolic glycolipid i (pgl-i) were measured, as well as serum nitrite levels in patients' sera, before, during and after treatment. patients who received only mdt did not present c ... | 1997 | 9401484 |
| studies on therapeutic activity of benzoxazinorifamycin krm-1648 in combination with other antimicrobial agents and biological response modifiers interferon-gamma and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor against m. leprae infection in athymic nude mice. | in the present study, we evaluated the in vivo anti-mycobacterium leprae activities of krm-1648 (krm) given at long intervals in combination with ofloxacin (oflx), clofazimine (cfz), and dapsone (dds). we also examined the combined effects of two biological response modifiers (brms), gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (gm-csf), on the therapeutic efficacy of krm. krm exhibited potent therapeutic efficacy against m. leprae infection in mice even when ... | 1997 | 9401487 |
| m. leprae binds to a 28-30-kda phosphorylated glycoprotein of rat peripheral nerve. | to understand mycobacterium leprae-peripheral nerve interaction, we have investigated the binding of m. leprae to rat peripheral nerve proteins in an in vitro model using 32p-phosphorylated proteins of the peripheral nerve. intact m. leprae binds to a major phosphorylated protein of 28-30 kda and, to a minor extent, to a few proteins of molecular weight 45-55 kda. this binding was more specific for m. leprae since only insignificant binding was observed with other bacteria, such as m. bovis or e ... | 1997 | 9401488 |
| a comparison of the expression of ngfr, pgp 9.5 and nse in cutaneous lesions of patients with early leprosy using immunohistochemistry. | we examined the immunohistochemical expression of the neuronal proteins ngfr, pgp 9.5, and nse in cutaneous lesions of patients with early leprosy and in the skin of normal individuals. pgp 9.5- and nse-immunoreactive nerve fibers were decreased in the skin of leprosy patients. this reduction was topographically unrelated to the early leprosy infiltrate. however, no difference in the expression of ngfr was found between the leprosy patient and normal groups. it was shown that there is a selectiv ... | 1997 | 9401489 |
| the clinical use of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of mycobacterial diseases. | mycobacterial diseases often require prolonged therapy with multidrug regimens. fluoroquinolones have excellent bactericidal activity against many mycobacteria; achieve effective serum, tissue, and intracellular levels following oral administration; and produce few adverse effects. these properties have led to the increasing use of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of mycobacterial infections. we reviewed clinical studies and reports involving the use of fluoroquinolones for mycobacterial disea ... | 1997 | 9402384 |
| a single point mutation in the embb gene is responsible for resistance to ethambutol in mycobacterium smegmatis. | ethambutol [emb; dextro-2,2'-(ethylenediimino)-di-1-butanol] is an effective drug when used in combination with isoniazid for the treatment of tuberculosis. it inhibits the polymerization of arabinan in the arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan of the mycobacterial cell wall. recent studies have shown that arabinosyltransferases could be targets of emb. these enzymes are encoded by the emb locus that was identified in mycobacterium smegmatis, mycobacterium leprae, mycobacterium avium, and mycoba ... | 1997 | 9420031 |
| the rlep-flanked pola gene from mycobacterium leprae is not transcribed in mycobacterium smegmatis. | a pola mutant of mycobacterium smegmatis (ms) lacking dna polymerase activity could not support the replication of a pal5000-derived plasmid or a derivative harbouring the rlep-flanked pola gene from m. leprae (mlep). in contrast, the plasmid containing the m. tuberculosis pola gene transformed the mutant with high efficiency and complemented its damage-sensitive phenotype suggesting that the replication of the pal5000 origin is dependent on host poli function and that the rlep-flanked mlep pola ... | 1997 | 9073067 |
| expression of mycobacterial antigens on murine dissociated schwann cells infected with mycobacterium leprae. | mycobacterial antigens were detected in a cell surface elisa on murine dissociated schwann cells infected with mycobacterium leprae. the time kinetics of expression and its refractoriness to modulation with monensin suggests that the antigens are likely to be integrated into the membrane during bacterial entry. this may be partially responsible for the defective schwann cell functions leading to subsequent peripheral nerve damage. | 1997 | 9075220 |
| interactions of oxyr with the promoter region of the oxyr and ahpc genes from mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis. | in contrast to the intact oxyr gene (a homolog of the central regulator of peroxide stress response in enteric bacteria) in mycobacterium leprae, this gene is inactive in all strains of m. tuberculosis. in both species, oxyr is divergently transcribed from ahpc, which encodes a homolog of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase. to initiate investigations of the regulation of oxidative stress in mycobacteria and consequences of the elimination of oxyr in m. tuberculosis, in this work we tested the hypothe ... | 1997 | 9079928 |
| neural targeting of mycobacterium leprae mediated by the g domain of the laminin-alpha2 chain. | we report that the molecular basis of the neural tropism of mycobacterium leprae is attributable to the specific binding of m. leprae to the laminin-alpha2 (ln-alpha2) chain on schwann cell-axon units. using recombinant fragments of ln-alpha2 (rln-alpha2), the m. leprae-binding site was localized to the g domain. rln-alpha2g mediated m. leprae binding to cell lines and to sciatic nerves of dystrophic dy/dy mice lacking ln-alpha2, but expressing laminin receptors. anti-beta4 integrin antibody att ... | 1997 | 9118224 |
| effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on prostaglandin e2 production and cell-mediated immunity in a mouse model of leprosy. | results from animal and in vitro studies suggest that essential fatty acid (efa) deficiency enhances cell-mediated immunity by reducing production of prostaglandins with immunosuppressive actions. however, direct experimental evidence that efa deficiency enhances t-lymphocyte function in vivo has not been obtained. in this study, athymic (nu/nu) mice were infected in the footpads with mycobacterium leprae and fed a linoleic acid-free diet. these mice, and infected nu/nu mice on control diets, we ... | 1997 | 9119445 |
| release of reactive nitrogen intermediates from the peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macrophages of leprosy patients stimulated in vitro by tuftsin. | the production of reactive nitrogen intermediates (rni) by macrophages is critical to host defence, particularly for exerting the bactericidal and tumoricidal properties. nitric oxide (no) were measured in the peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macrophages of normal and leprosy patients (bt/tt and bl/ll) in the presence and absence of 'tuftsin' as a function of in vitro culture age (on 1, 3, 7 days). macrophages from both groups of leprosy patients were able to produce no during the unstimulated ... | 1997 | 9121327 |
| cytokine networks with infection: mycobacterial infections, leishmaniasis, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and sepsis. | distinct cytokine profiles are clearly associated with and relate to the severity of several types of infections. cytokine networks are apparent with selected human infectious diseases, such as mycobacterial infections (leprosy, tuberculosis), the parasitic infection leishmaniasis, human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection, and gram-negative sepsis. cytokine profiles are determined to some extent by two functional subsets of t lymphocytes, th1 and th2. the th1 cytokines (interferon gamma, int ... | 1997 | 9085311 |
| [regulation of the immune response: the th1/th2 concept]. | the immune system has different possible ways of reacting to an antigen. the choice of an appropriate immune response is determined by the manner of antigen presentation, the amount of antigen, the localization of antigen uptake, the type of antigen presenting cell, the genetic predisposition of the individual and the presence of certain cytokines released by antigen presenting or other inflammatory cells. an immune response which is not not appropriate can lead to clinical symptoms or insuffici ... | 1997 | 9132932 |
| a mycobacterial extracytoplasmic function sigma factor involved in survival following stress. | the extracytoplasmic function (ecf) sigma factors constitute a diverse group of alternative sigma factors that have been demonstrated to regulate gene expression in response to environmental conditions in several bacterial species. genes encoding an ecf sigma factor of mycobacterium tuberculosis, mycobacterium avium, and mycobacterium smegmatis, designated sige, were cloned and analyzed. southern blot analysis demonstrated the presence of a single copy of this gene in these species and in mycoba ... | 1997 | 9139909 |