Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| relapse of leprosy after multidrug therapy. | relapse of leprosy after multidrug therapy among leprosy patients treated at mahasarakarm, kalasin and roi-et from 1984 to 1994 were analyzed. twenty pb relapses (45.45%) and twenty four mb relapses (54.55%) were found among 5,298 originally classified pb patients and 5 mb relapses occurred in 2,624 originally classified mb patients. mean relapse interval was between 3-4 years. the relapse rate within 10 years after stopping mdt was 0.83 per cent in pb and 0.19 per cent in mb. the estimated rela ... | 1996 | 8996998 |
| prognostic evaluation of cell mediated immunity in leprosy and correlation with clinicopathological status of leprosy patients. | cell mediated immunity was studied in 50 patients of leprosy and 15 control volunteers, by estimation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (pbl), total rosette forming cells (trfc) and active rosette forming cell (arfc) counts in vitro. pbl, trfc and arfc counts were slightly but not significantly increased in patients of tuberculoid leprosy (tt) and muculoanaesthetic variant of tuberculoid leprosy as compared to control group. however, gradual decrease in t-cell subsets, occurred in borderline tuber ... | 1996 | 8755125 |
| rifamycin resistance in mycobacteria. | 1996 | 8761722 | |
| bactericidal activities of combinations of new drugs against mycobacterium leprae in nude mice. | the bactericidal activities of 12 regimens with various combinations of new drugs (clarithromycin [clari], minocycline [mino], and ofloxacin [oflo]) and the standard antileprosy drugs, especially rifampin (rmp), were compared in nude mice with established mycobacterium leprae infection. the longest duration of treatment was 24 weeks for intermittent (once every 4 weeks) therapy and 8 weeks for daily therapy. bactericidal effects were monitored by titrating the proportion of viable m. leprae isol ... | 1996 | 8834886 |
| histological and immunological correlates of suspected leprosy lesions. | thirty-two subjects with suspected leprosy lesions were investigated to assess various modalities of sensibility and sweat function and these were correlated with immunological and histological parameters. it was found that pain and temperature, mediated by small unmyelinated fibres were impaired in the early lesions. impairment of sweat function was seen only when one of the modalities of sensibility was also affected. antibodies specific to a protein (35 kda) antigen and phenolic glycolipid 1 ... | 1996 | 8835584 |
| a 35-kilodalton protein is a major target of the human immune response to mycobacterium leprae. | the control of leprosy will be facilitated by the identification of major mycobacterium leprae-specific antigens which mirror the immune response to the organism across the leprosy spectrum. we have investigated the host response to a 35-kda protein of m. leprae. recombinant 35-kda protein purified from mycobacterium smegmatis resembled the native antigen in the formation of multimeric complexes and binding by monoclonal antibodies and sera from leprosy patients. these properties were not shared ... | 1996 | 8945562 |
| molecular definition and identification of new proteins of mycobacterium leprae. | this report describes n-terminal group analysis of six new proteins isolated from in vivo-grown mycobacterium leprae, three of which correspond to products of the cysa, ahpc, and rpil genes, which were recently defined through the m. leprae genome project and which encode a putative sulfate sulfurtransferase, an antioxidant enzyme, and the l7/l12 ribosomal protein, respectively. | 1996 | 8945601 |
| the immune response to mycobacterial 70-kda heat shock proteins frequently involves autoreactive t cells and is quantitatively disregulated in multiple sclerosis. | heat shock proteins (hsp) are the most conserved molecules known to date that may also function as immune targets during infection. hence, theoretically there is a high chance of cross-reactive responses to epitopes shared by host and microbe hsp. if not properly regulated, these responses may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. to determine if immune responses to hsp could contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, we raised t lymphocyte lines specific for the purif ... | 1996 | 8964896 |
| [the genetic susceptibility to leprosy in humans]. | the capacity of certain individuals to resist certain diseases, including leprosy, has for a long time been considered as being influenced by genetic factors. the clinical and pathological spectrum of leprosy, epidemiological heterogeneity, both geographic and ethnic, in the prevalence of polar forms, may be explained by genetic differences in host resistance. while the specific genes in question have not been identified, recent studies suggest a genetic basis for differences in the capacity of ... | 1996 | 8967289 |
| gene arrangement and organization in a approximately 76 kb fragment encompassing the oric region of the chromosome of mycobacterium leprae. | a continuous 75627 bp segment of the mycobacterium leprae chromosome spanning the oric region was sequenced. the gene order at this locus was similar to that found in the replication origin region of many other prokaryotes, particularly mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomyces coelicolor. as in the case of several gram-positive bacteria, essential genes involved in basic cellular functions, such as dna or rna metabolism (dnaa, dnab, dnan, gyrb, gyra, pcnb, recf, rnpa, ssb), cell wall synthesi ... | 1996 | 8969512 |
| isolation and characterization of a 70 kda protein from mycobacterium avium. | mycobacterium avium complex (mac) is an intracellular pathogen which causes disseminated bacterial infection in immunocompromised individuals. this organism predominantly infects macrophages. attachment of mac to macrophages is the first step prior to invasion. we have previously shown that a 70 kda protein of m. avium (ma) is one of nine monocyte-binding proteins. in the present study, we have purified this protein from sonic extracts of ma and studied some of its properties. the n-terminal seq ... | 1996 | 8971687 |
| the cellular and molecular basis of immunity against mycobacterial diseases. | 1996 | 8972118 | |
| erythema nodosum leprosum is associated with up-regulation of polyclonal igg1 antibody synthesis. | erythema nodosum leprosum (enl) is a serious complication of lepromatous (l) disease in leprosy. we have previously shown that of the four igg subclasses, igg1 and igg3 mycobacterium leprae-specific antibodies are significantly lower in leprosy patients during enl reaction compared with untreated l patients. to see if this decrease results from a down-regulation of antibody synthesis during enl, the frequency of antibody-secreting b cells (absc) in the blood compartment was determined by elispot ... | 1996 | 8973611 |
| electron microscopic characteristics of actinomycetic agents having aetiological association with human leprosy and epizootic ulcerative syndrome of fish. | the transmission electron microscopic (tem) studies of the human leprosy derived chemoautotrophic nocardio-form (can) bacteria and eus derived can bacteria showed presence of double contoured cell-walls consisting of an electron transparent and a dense layer. the fibrillar structures on the surface of these can bacterial cells also suggested their similarity to the human tissue derived mycobacterium leprae cells. these em studies further revealed mycelial and coccoid bodies in all these bacteria ... | 1996 | 8979491 |
| cloning and expression of transaldolase from potato. | we have isolated a cdna encoding transaldolase, an enzyme of the pentose-phosphate pathway, from potato (solanum tuberosum). the 1.5 kb cdna encodes a protein of 438 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 47.8 kda. when the potato cdna was expressed in escherichia coli a 45 kda protein with transaldolase activity was produced. the first 62 amino acids of the deduced amino acid sequence represent an apparent plastid transit sequence. while the potato transaldolase has considerable similarit ... | 1996 | 8980493 |
| recombination in mycobacteria. | mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (tb) is thought to infect a quarter of the world's population and accounts for 3 million deaths each year. leprosy, caused by mycobacterium leprae continues to afflict millions. in many countries, the incidence of tb is increasing due to its association with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids) and the emergence of multidrug resistance strains of tubercle bacilli. genes that encode major antigens, enzymes, potential virulence ... | 1996 | 8858576 |
| characterization of the fibronectin-attachment protein of mycobacterium avium reveals a fibronectin-binding motif conserved among mycobacteria. | mycobacterium avium is an intracellular pathogen and a major opportunistic infectious agent observed in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids). evidence suggests that the initial portal of infection by m. avium is often the gastrointestinal tract. however, the mechanism by which the m. avium crosses the epithelial barrier is unclear. a possible mechanism is suggested by the ability of m. avium to bind fibronectin, an extracellular matrix protein that is a virulence factor for s ... | 1996 | 8858587 |
| primary dapsone resistance in cebu, the philippines; cause for concern. | at a time when primary dapsone resistance was prevalent in many leprosy endemic areas, cebu in the philippines reported only 3.6% in the period 1975-1978 and later 8.1% in the period 1979-1982. in our current study of patients in the period 1988-1992, the number increased dramatically to 52.7%. in addition, 7.9% of the isolates are highly resistant to dapsone, a level of resistance not seen in earlier studies. this finding could have severe ramifications to the world health organization's multid ... | 1996 | 8862258 |
| restoration of proliferative response to m. leprae antigens in lepromatous t cells against candidate antileprosy vaccines. | several studies conducted in the last decade suggest that mycobacterium lepraereactive t cells exist in lepromatous patients, but their number may be too few to yield a detectable response in cell-mediated immunity (cmi) assays. immunizations with candidate antileprosy vaccines and stimulation of t cells with m. leprae + interleukin-2 restore the m. leprae-induced cmi response in lepromatous leprosy patients. these immunizations and stimulation may enrich the pre-existing m. leprae-responsive t ... | 1996 | 8862259 |
| effect of rhuifn-gamma treatment in multibacillary leprosy patients. | previous studies have shown that when multibacillary leprosy patients were treated with recombinant human interferon gamma (rhuifn-gamma) for 6-10 months there was an accelerated reduction in the number of acid-fast bacilli in the skin at the site of injection as well as an accelerated bacillary reduction at distal sites. however, this favorable out-come of ifn-gamma treatment was associated with the development of erythema nodosum leprosum (enl). the present study was undertaken to investigate ... | 1996 | 8862260 |
| microbial colonizers in leprosy skin ulcers and intensity of inflammation. | the microflora of 55 patients with leprosy skin ulcers was studied and related to a weighted inflammatory score (is). the control group consisted of 18 ulcers with different underlying pathology. leprosy ulcers were characterized by the exclusive presence of two types of branching gram-positive rods; a particular interesting proposal is that mycobacterium leprae share common antigens with these unusual "leprosy ulcer associated" organisms and group g beta-hemolytic streptococci. in the leprosy g ... | 1996 | 8862261 |
| investigation of anti-mycobacterium leprae antibodies in leprosy patients' sera by an a60 antigen immunoassay. | 1996 | 8862270 | |
| antibodies to phenolic glycolipid-i and sulfatide-i in leprosy and tuberculosis. | 1996 | 8862271 | |
| effect of mycobacterium leprae on peripheral nerve protein phosphorylation; a preliminary study. | 1996 | 8862273 | |
| electron-microscopic study of negative mitsuda reaction in nine-banded armadillos and lessons to be learned. | 1996 | 8862274 | |
| determination of mycobacterial phylogeny on the basis of immunological relatedness of superoxide dismutases. | sixteen strains of cultivable mycobacteria were grown in sauton's medium, and mycobacterium leprae was purified from armadillo liver. cell extracts were prepared from log-phase growths of each of the cultivable mycobacterial strains. superoxide dismutase (sod) enzyme was purified from all cultivable mycobacterial strains included in the study, and antibodies against purified sod enzyme were raised in rabbits. immunological distances (imds) between these anti-sod antibodies and sod antigens were ... | 1996 | 8863452 |
| the epidemiology of mycobacterium leprae: recent insight. | leprosy is still a health problem in many countries. because the causative organism, mycobacterium leprae cannot be cultured in vitro, it is virtually impossible to assess exposure, and the onset of infection and disease. as a consequence, the chain of infection, considered as the relationships between m. leprae, transmission and human host, is poorly understood. here, we discuss a number of organism-, host- and environmental-related factors which may be incriminated in the dynamic process of th ... | 1996 | 8867377 |
| the rrna operons of mycobacterium smegmatis and mycobacterium tuberculosis: comparison of promoter elements and of neighbouring upstream genes. | mycobacterium smegmatis has two rrna (rrn) operons designated rrnaf and rrnbf. appropriate restriction fragments of genomic dna containing sequences immediately upstream from the 16s rrna genes were cloned. we now report the nucleotide sequence of 552 bp upstream from the 5'-end of the box al antitermination element of the leader region of the rrnaf operon. the 5'-end of this segment of dna was found to comprise 113 codons of an orf encoding a protein which is significantly similar to udp-n-acet ... | 1996 | 8868442 |
| drug effects on intracellular mycobacteria determined by mass spectrometric analysis of the na(+)-to-k+ ratios of individual bacterial organisms. | the successful establishment of a drug screening system for intracellular cultivable and noncultivable mycobacteria based on the mass spectrometric determination of bacterial viability is described. to compare drug efficacies on intra- and extracellular mycobacteria, the mycobacteria were subjected to drug treatment either after phagocytosis by the mouse macrophage cell line raw 264.7 or in cell-free medium. after reisolation, their viability was monitored by analyzing the intrabacterial sodium- ... | 1996 | 8878579 |
| bactericidal activity of single dose of clarithromycin plus minocycline, with or without ofloxacin, against mycobacterium leprae in patients. | fifty patients with newly diagnosed lepromatous leprosy were allocated randomly to one of five groups and treated with either a month-long standard regimen of multidrug therapy (mdt) for multibacillary leprosy, a single dose of 600 mg of rifampin, a month-long regimen with the dapsone (dds) and clofazimine (clo) components of the standard mdt, or a single dose of 2,000 mg of clarithromycin (clari) plus 200 mg of minocycline (mino), with or without the addition of 800 mg of ofloxacin (oflo). at t ... | 1996 | 8878595 |
| isolation and sequence of a mycobacterium tuberculosis sigma factor. | a dna segment from mycobacterium tuberculosis containing a gene for a putative sigma factor was isolated and sequenced. the protein encoded by this gene is 92% similar to the mycobacterium smegmatis sigma factor mysb, and has been designated mtu sigb. a mycobacterium leprae homologue of mysb and mtu sigb was identified in the database. | 1996 | 8890748 |
| immunoglobulin g response against 10-kda and 65-kda heat-shock proteins in leprosy patients and their household contacts. | we measured antibody responses to recombinant mycobacterium leprae 65-kda (rml65) and 10-kda (rml10) by indirect elisa in sera from leprosy patients, household contacts and healthy controls in a leprosy-endemic area in the north east of argentina. serum antibody levels to those antigens were correlated with igm anti-phenolic glycolipid i (pgl-i) levels, with bacterial index and the period of time under chemotherapy. bacterial index positive (bi+) patients showed higher mean values when compared ... | 1996 | 8908480 |
| properties of lysophospholipase in mycobacterium leprae. | lysophospholipids are key intermediates in the metabolism of phospholipids. cytoplasmic membranes of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes are made of phospholipid bilayers. phospholipases are activated during phagocytosis. lysophospholipids generated by phospholipase a2 or a1 degrade cell membranes and can cause cell lysis. an active lysophospholipase, that hydrolyzes lysophospholipids, was detected by the radioisotope technique in mycobacterium leprae. about two-thirds of the enzyme was particulate ... | 1996 | 8914265 |
| active leprosy treated effectively with ofloxacin. | the patient is a 25-year-old filipino who showed polymorphous eruptions over the whole body, right ulnar nerve paresis, polyneuropathy and hypalgesia in the area of eruptions. because the biopsy specimen showed foam cells, histiocytes, epithelioid cells, many mycobacterium leprae and no giant cells, the diagnosis of borderline-lepromatous (bl) type was made. the symptoms were improved by the administration of 300 mg/day ofloxacin. because the monotherapy using ofloxacin has been reported to be e ... | 1996 | 8915706 |
| models of the within-host dynamics of persistent mycobacterial infections. | we use mathematical models to investigate the within-host dynamics of mycobacterial infections. in particular, we investigate the mechanisms by which bacteria such as mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae persist at low densities for extended periods, and attain high densities much later. we suggest that the persistence of bacteria in face of immune pressure may result from the bacteria having a very slow growth rate, or having a dormant stage. we show that whereas these mechanisms ... | 1996 | 8920248 |
| induction of heat shock protein 60 expression in human monocytic cell lines infected with mycobacterium leprae. | monocytic cell lines (hl-60 and thp-1) were infected with viable mycobacterium leprae. levels of human hsp60 were estimated by western blot (immunoblot) assay and a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. the results showed that infection of both of the cell lines induced the synthesis of human hsp60, which may be of significance in relation to autoimmune manifestations associated with mycobacterial infections. | 1996 | 8926111 |
| induction of th1 cytokine responses by mycobacterial antigens in leprosy. | twelve mycobacterial antigens were compared for induction of gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) secretion by human blood mononuclear cells of patients with leprosy. fractionated mycobacterium leprae antigens containing cell wall proteins or cytosolic and membrane proteins induced good ifn-gamma responses in tuberculoid leprosy patients. lipoarabinomannan from m. tuberculosis erdman and m. leprae mycolylarabinogalactan peptidoglycan were the poorest ifn-gamma inducers. | 1996 | 8926118 |
| in vitro susceptibility of mycobacterium leprae to oxygen-mediated damage. | in order to evaluate factors responsible for the failure of mycobacterium leprae to multiply in cell-free cultures in vitro studies were undertaken to determine the possible poisoning of the organism by hydroxide and superoxide radicals produced in the growth medium. the superoxide dismutase activity was very low, 10% of the levels found in armadillo cells, while measured activity of catalase and glutathione peroxidase was negligible. susceptibility of m. leprae to hydrogen peroxide was enhanced ... | 1996 | 8935737 |
| anti-pgl-1 antibody levels in thai leprosy patients. | phenolic glycolipid - 1 (pgl-1) is a mycobacterium leprae specific cell wall component. it is an immunodominant antigen and can induce a strong humoral immune response. igm antibody levels against pgl-1 were measured in thai leprosy patients between october 1992-april 1994 by a commercially available m. leprae particle agglutination test (mlpa). the percentage of seropositivity was much higher in newly untreated multibacillary (mb) patients (83.9%) than in paucibacillary (pb) patients (17.8%). a ... | 1996 | 9253875 |
| leprosy resistant to multi-drug-therapy (mdt) successfully treated with ampicillin-sulbactam combination--(a case report). | a 50 year male developed a discoid lesion of leprosy on the face. inspite of dapsone 100 mg/day and rifampicin 600 mgm per day the disease spread to both sides of the face and forehead. it became worse with prednisolone and clofazimine. it cleared completely when sultamicillin was added to the latter. this seems to be the first patient of leprosy to be treated with this combination and reported. | 1996 | 9141351 |
| susceptibility of severe combined immunodeficient mice to mycobacterium leprae. | the susceptibility of severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mice to human leprosy bacilli was investigated. nude mice were used as controls. scid mice were found to be highly susceptible to mycobacterium leprae and the progress of infection was comparatively 2-3 months earlier than observed in the nude mice. after reaching a maximum of approximately 1 x 10(9) acid fast bacilli/foot pad at about 8 months postinfection the number of bacilli gradually decreased. the progress of infection in nude m ... | 1996 | 9121376 |
| antibody production to heat shock proteins with mr 65 kd (hsp65) in cutaneous inflammation: a possible relation to focal infection. | in order to correlate the immunomodulatory roles of homologous heat shock proteins with mr 65 kd (hsp65) to skin diseases, antibody level to recombinant-hsp65 of mycobacterium leprae was quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) in the sera of patients. in psoriasis, an insignificant increase was observed in anti-hsp65 igg (0.111 +/- 0.053, mean +/- sd in 0d492 nm, n = 22), compared with a normal group (0.080 +/- 0.032, n = 9). however, psoriasis of acute guttate-type (pga), whic ... | 1996 | 9082780 |
| [histopathologic findings for the research of acid-fast bacilli in erythema nodosum]. | it was possible to prove, by means of retrospective histopathological studies of 51 glass slides of common erythema nodosum (en) and 39 glass slides of erythema nodosum leprosum (enl), that the histopathological features of the two groups differed in several ways. it was found that the most prominent divergent findings between these two diseases was the presence of a lepromatous granulomatous infiltrate in the enl; the predominant location of the inflammatory infiltrate was derma-hypodermal in e ... | 1996 | 9302823 |
| [evaluation of cytokine production in leprosy patients]. | the aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) of leprosy patients when the cells were stimulated in culture by cona, ppd or m.leprae. we measured il-2, il-4, ifn-gamma and il-6 in cell-free supernatants by enzyme linked immunoassays. our results do not suggest a clear association of a clinical form of leprosy with either th1 or th2 cytokine secretion profile in pbmc of leprosy patients. | 1996 | 9284575 |
| lord of the rings: groes structure. | 1996 | 8539614 | |
| structure of the heat shock protein chaperonin-10 of mycobacterium leprae. | members of the chaperonin-10 (cpn10) protein family, also called heat shock protein 10 and in escherichia coli groes, play an important role in ensuring the proper folding of many proteins. the crystal structure of the mycobacterium leprae cpn10 (ml-cpn10) oligomer has been elucidated at a resolution of 3.5 angstroms. the architecture of the ml-cpn10 heptamer resembles a dome with an oculus in its roof. the inner surface of the dome is hydrophilic and highly charged. a flexible region, known to ... | 1996 | 8539620 |
| immune response to heat-shock protein correlates with induction of insulitis in i-e alpha d transgenic nod mice. | to evaluate the correlation between heat-shock protein (hsp) and insulitis, we compared lymphocyte proliferative response to mycobacterium leprae hsp65 of nod mice with that of i-e alpha d transgenic nod (i-e+nod) mice, which show no insulitis. we found that splenocytes from 15-week-old nod mice showed a more marked proliferative response to hsp than did those from age-matched i-e+nod mice (p < 0.05). we then transferred splenocytes from 12-week-old nod mice into i-e+nod mice to induce insulitis ... | 1996 | 8549860 |
| absence of a prominent th2 cytokine response in human tuberculosis. | depressed th1 responses are a prominent feature of human tuberculosis, but an enhanced th2 response has not been detected in peripheral blood t cells stimulated in vitro with mycobacterium tuberculosis. in disease due to mycobacterium leprae, th2 cells predominate in tissue lesions of patients with extensive disease but are absent from peripheral blood. to determine if th2 cells are present in tissue lesions of tuberculosis patients, we evaluated patterns of cytokine expression in lymph nodes fr ... | 1996 | 8606100 |
| an integrated map of the genome of the tubercle bacillus, mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv, and comparison with mycobacterium leprae. | an integrated map of the genome of the tubercle bacillus, mycobacterium tuberculosis, was constructed by using a twin-pronged approach. pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis enabled cleavage sites for asn i and dra i to be positioned on the 4.4-mb circular chromosome, while, in parallel, clones from two cosmid libraries were ordered into contigs by means of fingerprinting and hybridization mapping. the resultant contig map was readily correlated with the physical map of the genome via the la ... | 1996 | 8610181 |
| transaldolase genes from the cyanobacteria anabaena variabilis and synechocystis sp. pcc 6803: comparison with other eubacterial and eukaryotic homologues. | we have sequenced and analysed the transaldolase (tal) genes from two cyanobacteria, anabaena variabilis (atcc 29413) and synechocystis sp. pcc 6803, which are filamentous heterocyst-forming and unicellular organisms, respectively. the deduced amino acid sequences of the two cyanobacterial tal genes are 78% identical and are highly homologous to both eubacterial and eukaryotic transaldolases (escherichia coli, two yeasts, and man) with values ranging from 54 to 60% amino acid identity. in contra ... | 1996 | 8616240 |
| an improved sequence assembly program. | we describe a number of improvements to the cap sequence assembly program. these improvements include the development of methods for solving the problem caused by simple repetitive sequences, for automatically editing fragment alignments and consensus sequences, and for identifying chimeric fragments. the improved program (cap2) assembled each of seven data sets, six of which contain repetitive sequences of very strong similarity, into a single sequence. as an example, cap2 assembled a set of 14 ... | 1996 | 8617506 |
| histological findings of human leprosy periapical granulomas. | histological analysis of human leprosy periapical granulomas was conducted to study the histological responses to mycobacterium leprae. many langhans-type giant cells and epithelioid cell tubercles were observed, although m. leprae were not detected in leprosy periapical granulomas. although numerous t- and b-cells were infiltrated in leprosy periapical granuloma, the t-/b-cell ratio of leprosy is not changed to that of periapical granulomas isolated from normal patients. these findings suggeste ... | 1996 | 8618092 |
| interference by igm rheumatoid factor on elisa for antibodies to mycobacterial 65 kda heat shock protein in rheumatoid arthritis. | 1996 | 8620313 | |
| homing events in the gyra gene of some mycobacteria. | the a subunit of dna gyrase in mycobacterium leprae, unlike its counterpart in mycobacterium tuberculosis, is produced by protein splicing as its gene, gyra, harbors a 1260-bp in-frame insertion encoding an intein, a putative homing endonuclease. analysis of the gyra locus from different mycobacterial species revealed the presence of inteins in mycobacterium flavescens, mycobacterium gordonae and mycobacterium kansasii but not in 10 other pathogenic or saprophytic mycobacteria. in all four cases ... | 1996 | 8622949 |
| identification and overexpression in escherichia coli of a mycobacterium leprae gene, pon1, encoding a high-molecular-mass class a penicillin-binding protein, pbp1. | cosmid b577, a member of the collection of ordered clones corresponding to the genome of mycobacterium leprae, contains a gene, provisionally called pon1, that encodes an 821-amino-acid-residue high-molecular-mass class a penicillin-binding protein, provisionally called pbp1. with similar amino acid sequences and modular designs, m. leprae pbp1 is related to escherichia coli pbp1a and pbp1b, bienzymatic proteins with transglycosylase and transpeptidase activities. when produced in e. coli, his t ... | 1996 | 8626300 |
| detection of mycobacterium leprae in nerve lesions by the polymerase chain reaction. | a simple procedure is described for the detection of mycobacterium leprae by the polymerase chain reaction in nerve biopsies sectioned with a cryostat and then treated with proteinase k. all samples from lepromatous leprosy patients and the majority of samples from paucibacillary cases yielded positive results. this approach may be useful for differentiating between leprosy and other inflammatory neuropathies. | 1996 | 8627108 |
| immunotherapy of far-advanced lepromatous leprosy patients with low-dose convit vaccine along with multidrug therapy (calcutta trial). | this report describes a promising mode of treatment of lepromin-unresponsive, far-advanced, lepromatous (ll) leprosy patients with antileprosy vaccines as an adjunct to multidrug therapy (mdt). the trial groups included 50 highly bacilliferous, lepromin-negative, untreated ll patients. they were given mdt for 2 years. of them, 30 patients were administered a mixed antileprosy vaccine containing killed mycobacterium leprae of human origin plus m. bovis bcg. the remaining 20 patients were given m. ... | 1996 | 8627110 |
| viability of mycobacterium leprae in skin and peripheral nerves and persistence of nerve destruction in multibacillary patients after 2 years of multidrug therapy. | the pathological changes, bacterial load, and viability of mycobacterium leprae in the skin and nerves of nine lepromatous leprosy patients who had undergone 2 years of multidrug therapy (mdt) were studied. m. leprae and varying amounts of their remnants were present in the nerves and skin of all but one patient. m. leprae isolated from skin biopsies of six patients and nerve biopsies of nine patients were inoculated into mouse foot pads. no growth was obtained from any one of them. during the e ... | 1996 | 8627112 |
| immunological profiles of leprosy patients and healthy family contacts toward m. leprae antigens. | in this study, we measured simultaneously the in vitro and in vivo t lymphocyte reactivities and the antibody responses of leprosy patients and healthy family contacts (hfc) toward mycobacterium leprae antigens. the in vitro lymphoproliferative response of the hfc to leprosin a was comparable to that of tuberculoid leprosy patients. however, their skin-test reactivity to dharmendra lepromin was considerably higher compared to the in vitro response to leprosin a. a significant number of hfc faile ... | 1996 | 8627115 |
| igg subclass recognition pattern in leprosy: recognition of m. leprae antigens by igg1 and igg3 antibodies is distinct across the disease spectrum. | the recognition of mycobacterium leprae antigens by igg subclasses in patients with leprosy was investigated by electrophoresing m. leprae sonicate in sds-polyacrylamide gel and immunoblotting analysis. serum pools were used from leprosy patients with either lepromatous (ll/bl) or tuberculoid (bt/tt) disease. a serum pool from healthy controls (ec) was used to determine the baseline antibody activity. to adjust for quantitative differences in antibodies across the disease spectrum, the ll/bl ser ... | 1996 | 8627117 |
| dna extraction methods from mycobacterium leprae and m. lepraemurium. | 1996 | 8627119 | |
| radiometric procedure for detecting a cultivable mycobacterium in mycobacterium leprae-infected armadillo tissue. | 1996 | 8627120 | |
| immunogenicity and protection studies with recombinant mycobacteria and vaccinia vectors coexpressing the 18-kilodalton protein of mycobacterium leprae. | the activation of antigen-specific t lymphocytes is essential for the control of leprosy infection in humans and experimental animals. t cells recognize a variety of protein antigens from mycobacterium leprae, including the 18-kda protein, which is limited in distribution among mycobacteria and which is absent from mycobacterium tuberculosis and the vaccine strain, mycobacterium bovis bcg. adjuvant preparations of mycobacterial protein antigens have had limited protective efficacy for experiment ... | 1996 | 8675337 |
| antisphingolipid antibodies in the sera of leprosy patients. | earlier we reported the presence of significant levels of antigalactocerebroside (galc) antibodies in the sera of leprosy patients. this study corroborates the above result and also gives evidence for the presence of antibodies to the nonpolar ceramide (cer) moiety of galc. anticer antibody titres were higher as compared to antigalc antibodies in all categories of leprosy. the specificity of antibodies directed to the cer moiety was confirmed using lactosyl-bsa and neutralization assays. statist ... | 1996 | 8684259 |
| hansen's disease. | physicians in the united states may encounter hansen's disease in immigrants and areas such as texas, louisiana, hawaii, and california. exposure to infected armadillos may be one means of acquiring the disease. the mycobacterium leprae bacillus has a predilection for nerves and skin in the cooler areas of the body. the limited tuberculoid form of the disease is characterized by one or a few hypoesthetic skin lesions and palpably enlarged nerves. the more extensive lepromatous form of the diseas ... | 1996 | 8685748 |
| selective decrease of m. leprae-specific igg1 and igg3 antibodies in leprosy patients associated with enl. | erythema nodosum leprosum (enl) is a serious complication of lepromatous leprosy. because of the similarities with the arthus-type reaction, enl is presumed to be due to immune complex formation and their deposition in tissues. the aim of this study was to dissect the antibody response at the igg subclass level to ascertain differences in igg subclasses in nonreactional lepromatous/borderline lepromatous (ll/bl) patients and reactional (enl) lepromatous patients. the enl group showed significant ... | 1996 | 8690967 |
| determination of the minimal effective dosages of ofloxacin and sparfloxacin against m. leprae in the mouse foot pad system. | the minimal effective dosages (meds) of ofloxacin (oflo) and sparfloxacin (spfx) against 10 isolates of mycobacterium leprae were measured in the mouse foot pad system. the drugs were administered either by gavage or by incorporation into the mouse diet in a range of concentrations. the results demonstrated that the meds of oflo were 4 to 5 times higher than those of spfx, thus confirming that, on a weight-to-weight basis, the anti-m. leprae activity of spfx was significantly greater than that o ... | 1996 | 8690973 |
| infection of distal peripheral nerves by m. leprae in infected armadillos; an experimental model of nerve involvement in leprosy. | mechanisms of localization of mycobacterium leprae to the peripheral nerves and of subsequent nerve injury are not understood. no experimental animal model has been available for use in examining the pathogenesis of m. leprae-induced nerve injury. a detailed dissection was, therefore, done of the major peripheral nerves in the extremities of six m. leprae-inoculated armadillos, three of which had developed characteristic disseminated infection. all of the animals with disseminated infection had ... | 1996 | 8690974 |
| evolution of lymphocyte populations in armadillos (dasypus novemcinctus) inoculated with m. leprae. | in human leprosy patients there are changes in the percentages of t and b lymphocytes in peripheral blood, and there is a correlation with the clinical characteristics or manifestations of the disease. these phenomena still require clarification regarding the triggering mechanism involved that may lead to one or the other clinical entities. much has yet to be learned about the intricacies of whether the changes in subpopulations of t and b lymphocytes are a causative factor or an effect attribut ... | 1996 | 8690975 |
| randomised controlled trial of single bcg, repeated bcg, or combined bcg and killed mycobacterium leprae vaccine for prevention of leprosy and tuberculosis in malawi. karonga prevention trial group. | repeat bcg vaccination is standard practice in many countries for prevention of tuberculosis and leprosy, but its effectiveness has not been evaluated. the addition of mycobacterium leprae antigens to bcg might improve its effectiveness against leprosy. a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial to evaluate both these procedures was carried out in karonga district, northern malawi, where a single bcg vaccine administered by routine health services had previously been found to afford greater th ... | 1996 | 8691924 |
| molecular characterization of a surface-exposed superoxide dismutase of mycobacterium avium. | mycobacterium avium is an intracellular pathogen capable of growing inside the phagosomal compartment of macrophages. in this work, we characterized the superoxide dismutase of m. avium, as a putative candidate to resist the oxidative stress. the gene soda encoding superoxide dismutase (sod:ec1.15.1.1) from mycobacterium avium tmc724 was cloned and sequenced. it encodes a 23 kda protein (207 aminoacids) showing identity with the mycobacterium leprae sod (91%) and the m. tuberculosis sod (83%). t ... | 1996 | 8692009 |
| characterization of t cells that confer a high degree of protective immunity against tuberculosis in mice after vaccination with tumor cells expressing mycobacterial hsp65. | mice vaccinated by injection with tumor cells expressing the mycobacterium leprae gene for hsp65 acquire a remarkably high degree of protection against challenge with mycobacterium tuberculosis. we used limiting-dilution analysis to assess the frequency of cd4+ cd8- and cd4- cd8+ splenocytes responding to mycobacterial hsp65 in such vaccinated mice. cells of both phenotypes were present at very high and equal frequencies (approximately 1:100). vaccination with live mycobacterium bovis bcg also i ... | 1996 | 8698458 |
| isolation and sequencing of the rho gene from streptomyces lividans zx7 and characterization of the rna-dependent ntpase activity of the overexpressed protein. | the gene for transcription termination factor rho was isolated from streptomyces lividans zx7. it encoded a 77-kda polypeptide (rho 77) with considerable homology to known rho factors. an atypical hydrophilic region of 228 residues was found within the n-terminal rna-binding domain. only rho from micrococcus luteus and mycobacterium leprae (closely related gc-rich gram-positive bacteria) had an analogous sequence. rho 77 was overexpressed in escherichia coli and purified using an n-terminal hexa ... | 1996 | 8702978 |
| a major t-cell-inducing cytosolic 23 kda protein antigen of the vaccine candidate mycobacterium habana is superoxide dismutase. | this study describes the purification and immunochemical characterization of a major 23 kda cytosolic protein antigen of the vaccine candidate mycobacterium habana (tmc 5135). the 23 kda protein alone was salted out from the cytosol at an ammonium sulfate saturation of 80-95%. it represented about 1.5% of the total cytosolic protein, appeared glycosylated by staining with periodic acid/schiff's reagent, and showed a pl of approximately 5.3. its native molecular mass was determined as approximate ... | 1996 | 8704977 |
| in vitro activity of a new rifamycin derivative against mycobacterium leprae. | the antimicrobial effects of t9 (3-(4-cinamyl-1-piperazinyl)iminomethyl rifamycin sv) alone and in combination with ofloxacin, against strains of m. leprae were evaluated, using an in vitro cell-free culture system. the minimum inhibitory concentrations (mics) of t9 against rifampin-sensitive and rifampin-resistant strains of m. leprae were 0.1 microgram/ml and 0.4 microgram/ml, respectively. furthermore, in common with rifabutin, but not with rifamycin, t9 demonstrated synergy with ofloxacin ag ... | 1996 | 8720317 |
| nerve tissue culture as an approach towards the study of onset of reactions in the nerve in leprosy--observations and hypothesis. | 1996 | 8727116 | |
| animal model for leprous neuropathy: our contribution. | 1996 | 8727120 | |
| a semi quantitative analysis of bacterial load in different cell types in leprous nerves using transmission electron microscope. | thirty lepromatous (bl-ll) and 25 tuberculoid (tt-bt) nerve lesions obtained from untreated cases of leprosy were scanned using transmission electron microscope for assessing the bacterial load in different cell types. major bulk of infection was seen in the schwann cells of nonmyelinated fibres, in both early lepromatous and tuberculoid nerve lesions, suggesting that m. leprae spread mainly via the schwann cells within the nerve. | 1996 | 8727121 |
| host parasite response in nerve in leprosy. | nerve granulomas occur at all points across the leprosy spectrum. studies have been made using experimental models in which mycobacteria were injected directly in the sciatic or posterior tibial nerve of the guinea pig. clinical and electrophysiological studies demonstrated axonal damage which was confirmed by morphometric studies showing disrupted myelin sheaths and in places complete demyelination. further immunohistological studies showed a complete disappearance of staining for certain neuro ... | 1996 | 8727123 |
| primary structure of a cytosolic malate dehydrogenase of the amitochondriate eukaryote, trichomonas vaginalis. | the nucleotide sequence of a gene coding for a 37 kda subunit of a cytosolic malate dehydrogenase of trichomonas vaginalis was established. the sequence of a gdna clone and a cdna clone, which lacked seven amino-terminal codons, were identical, indicating an absence of introns from the gene. cell fractionation combined with sequencing of peptide fragments of the purified enzyme showed that the gene codes for an expressed cytosolic enzyme. the derived amino acid sequence was closely related to cy ... | 1996 | 8595866 |
| expression and functional characterisation of the clpc gene of mycobacterium leprae: clpc protein elicits human antibody response. | this paper reports the expression of a previously described gene [nath and laal, nucleic acids res. 18 (1990) 4935], currently identified as the clpc gene of mycobacterium leprae, using an in vitro rabbit reticulocyte lysate-coupled transcription/translation system. the produced protein moved as a 95-kda band on sds-page. an additional band of 79 kda was seen which may have resulted from a gtg codon downstream to the initiating atg in the clpc sequence. a threefold increase in synthesis of the 9 ... | 1996 | 8655000 |
| genetic analysis of the mycobacterium smegmatis rpsl promoter. | the dna sequence of the promoter region of the mycobacterium smegmatis rpsl gene, which encodes the s12 ribosomal protein, was determined. primer extension analysis and s1 nuclease protection experiments identified the 5' end of the rpsl mrna to be 199 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon. the rpsl promoter contained sequences upstream of this start point for transcription that were similar to the canonical hexamers found at the -10 and -35 regions of promoters recognized by esigma70, ... | 1996 | 8655555 |
| organization of the origins of replication of the chromosomes of mycobacterium smegmatis, mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium tuberculosis and isolation of a functional origin from m. smegmatis. | the genus mycobacterium is composed of species with widely differing growth rates ranging from approximately three hours in mycobacterium smegmatis to two weeks in mycobacterium leprae. as dna replication is coupled to cell duplication, it may be regulated by common mechanisms. the chromosomal regions surrounding the origins of dna replication from m. smegmatis, m. tuberculosis, and m. leprae have been sequenced, and show very few differences. the gene order, rnpa-rpmh-dnaa-dnan-recf-orf-gyrb-gy ... | 1996 | 8733228 |
| two domains of superfamily i helicases may exist as separate proteins. | dna and rna helicases of superfamily i are characterized by seven conserved motifs. the five n-terminal motifs are separated from the two c-terminal ones by a spacer that is highly variable in both sequence and length, suggesting the existence of two distinct domains. using computer methods for protein sequence analysis, we show that phoh, an atp-binding protein that is conserved in escherichia coli and mycobacterium leprae, is homologous to the putative n-terminal domain of the helicases, where ... | 1996 | 8771213 |
| a corynebacterium glutamicum gene encoding a two-domain protein similar to biotin carboxylases and biotin-carboxyl-carrier proteins. | following the analysis of transposon tn5432-induced mutants of corynebacterium glutamicum atcc 13032, a gene encoding a protein with a biotin-binding motif was cloned. the dna sequence of this gene revealed an open reading frame encoding 591 amino acids with a calculated mol. mass of 63.4 kda. the protein is composed of two domains, an n-terminal biotin carboxylase and a c-terminal biotin-carboxyl-carrier protein, that are highly similar to corresponding subunits from prokaryotic and eukaryotic ... | 1996 | 8772169 |
| detection of transforming growth factor-beta 1 in dermal lesions of different clinical forms of leprosy. | immunohistochemical studies were performed to determine the presence and distribution of polypeptide transforming growth factor (tgf)-beta 1, a cytokine with macrophage-suppressing activity, in skin biopsies from 41 patients with different clinical forms of leprosy. we used an anti-tgf-beta 1 polyclonal antibody and the avidinbiotin-peroxidase (abc complex) method. the results demonstrated that the lesions of the lepromatous and borderline lepromatous forms presented intense cytoplasm staining f ... | 1996 | 8774145 |
| hla-dr4-restricted t-cell epitopes from the mycobacterial 60,000 mw heat shock protein (hsp 60) do not map to the sequence homology regions with the human hsp 60. | the mycobacterial 60,000 mw heat shock protein (hsp 60) is a major antigen recognized by mycobacteria-reactive human cd4+ t cells with lymphokine profiles and effector functions consistent with protective immunity. in addition, the presence of a large number of t-cell epitopes presented by several hla class ii molecules makes this antigen relevant to subunit vaccine design. however, the results from animal models as well as human studies suggest that the mycobacterial hsp 60 may induce t-cell-me ... | 1996 | 8778028 |
| antimicrobial activity of rifabutin. | rifabutin is a spiro-piperidyl-rifamycin derived from rifamycin-s. it is structurally related to rifampin and shares many of its properties. rifabutin has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. it is considerably more active than rifampin in vitro against the mycobacterium avium complex (mac), mycobacterium tuberculosis, and mycobacterium leprae. it also is active against most atypical mycobacteria, including mycobacterium kansasii, but mycobacterium chelonae is relatively resistant. rifabu ... | 1996 | 8785253 |
| [effects of glycerin and dextran on maintenance of the activity of mycobacterium leprae in a cell-free liquid medium]. | in the previous paper, it was indicated that the activity (atp values extracted from collected cells) of mycobacterium leprae could be maintained in the phosphate buffer (ph 7.0) containing fetal calf serum (10%) for more than 4 weeks under the incubation at 30 degrees c. the present paper describes that the activity of cells of m.leprae is prolonged and somewhat stimulated when glycerin and dextran are added to the buffer serum system. the optimal concentrations for glycerin and dextran are 2% ... | 1996 | 8810561 |
| [bcg vaccination to mycobacterium leprae infection in mice]. | bcg vaccine (tokyo strain) was given in balb/ca mice intradermally 1 or 3 months before mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) challenge as modified shepard's method. the vaccine dosage was 10(7-8) or 10(6). the bcg gave good protection in both dosages and both challenges against m. leprae infection. lymphocytes proliferations of bcg-vaccinated splenocyte cultures in response to m. leprae lysate or bcg components (hsp65, 38 kd, 30 kd or 12 kd protein) were tested, and potent proliferative responses we ... | 1996 | 8810563 |
| establishment of mouse cell lines expressing mycobacterium leprae 65 kda heat shock protein gene. | 1996 | 8810564 | |
| granulomas induced by mycobacterium leprae | leprosy, a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, affects primarily the skin, mucous membranes, and peripheral nerves. it is characterized by a spectrum of symptoms, largely a result of the immunological response of the host to the antigens of m. leprae. at one pole [lepromatous leprosy (ll)] there is an enormous growth of the bacilli in the tissues resulting from a specific and profound lack of cell-mediated immunity (cmi) of the host to m. leprae. at the opposite pole [tube ... | 1996 | 8812674 |
| rapid identification of mycobacterial species by pcr amplification of hypervariable 16s rrna gene promoter region. | a total of 0.3 to 0.4 kb of the promoter region of the 16s rrna genes from mycobacterium tuberculosis, m. gordonae, m. xenopi, and m. leprae was pcr amplified, cloned, and sequenced. the observed number of substitutions, insertions, and deletions exceeded those found in previously used target sequences, including the entire 16s coding region. a simple and generally applicable restriction fragment length polymorphism method that can be used to distinguish between mycobacterial species is describe ... | 1996 | 8815098 |
| serological reactivity to a synthetic analog of phenolic glycolipid i and early detection of leprosy in an area of low endemicity. | a total of 23,863 individuals living in an area of low endemicity for leprosy were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a semisynthetic analogue of the phenolic glycolipid i antigen of mycobacterium leprae. the proportion found positive was 3.86% which was significantly higher than that in a sample of a population known to be free of leprosy. clinical examinations as well as mitsuda and skin smear tests were organized for those defined as seropositive. the proportion of individuals w ... | 1996 | 8820514 |
| [the electron immunochemical detection of mycobacterial antigens in the granulomas of leprosy patients]. | m.leprae antigens (ag) in skin granuloma macrophages from 10 untreated patients with active lepromatous leprosy were studied with the use of electron microscopic immunochemical methods. peroxidase-conjugated antirabbit antibodies to m.leprae and m.avium were used. m.leprae ag were found to be located in mycobacterial microcapsules, as well as in collagen fibers of the derma and the connective tissue of blood vessels with the signs of damaged collagen. in the latter case fixed immune complexes pr ... | 1996 | 8820688 |
| immunological and functional characterization of mycobacterium leprae protein antigens: an overview. | a major focus of leprosy research in the last 10 years has been the identification and characterization of antigens of mycobacterium leprae that interact with antibodies and t cells of the host's immune response. through the combined efforts of many different laboratories, a substantial number of protein antigens have been identified and characterized. in this microreview we present an updated list of m. leprae protein antigens, and, with emphasis on recent developments, summarize what is known ... | 1995 | 8825083 |
| [contemporary problems in the epidemiology and clinical pathology of leprosy]. | contemporary problems have been presented, related to pathogenesis, clinical pathology and epidemiology of leprosy. it has been stressed that intensity of cell mediated immune response in the patient determines not only resistance or susceptibility to infection with mycobacterium leprae but also defines traits of clinical pathology in leprosy, thus providing the basis for modern clinical classification. present aims and investigative methods in lepra epidemiology have been shown. current data ha ... | 1995 | 8834501 |
| isolation and characterization of the genes of pathogenic mycobacteria that express antigens for t cell reactivity. | tuberculosis and leprosy are caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae, respectively. identification and characterization of the genes expressing proteins that stimulate th1-type cells is required to understand the mechanisms involved in protection from mycobacterial diseases. we isolated several recombinant genes from recombinant dna libraries that expressed antigens recognized by well-characterized monoclonal antibodies. we first used these isolated recombinants to show tha ... | 1995 | 8748244 |
| recognition of mycobacterial hsp65 in association with hla-dr4 is not sufficient for autoreactivity. | the mycobacterial heat shock protein 65, class ii major histocompatibility complex molecule hla-dr4, and t cells have been implicated in autoimmunity. however, there has been no direct demonstration of the recognition of the heat shock protein 65 by t cells in association with hla-dr4. in this study, we established t cell lines and a large number of t cell clones from healthy subjects vaccinated with killed mycobacteria. among these subjects, three were hla-dr4 positive, and the t cell lines and ... | 1995 | 8748246 |
| antimicrobial agent resistance in mycobacteria: molecular genetic insights. | the primary theme emerging from molecular genetic work conducted with mycobacterium tuberculosis and several other mycobacterial species is that resistance is commonly associated with simple nucleotide alterations in target chromosomal genes rather than with acquisition of new genetic elements encoding antibiotic-altering enzymes. mutations in an 81-bp region of the gene (rpob) encoding the beta subunit of rna polymerase account for rifampin resistance in 96% of m. tuberculosis and many mycobact ... | 1995 | 8665467 |