| protection against tuberculosis by bone marrow cells expressing mycobacterial hsp65. | although mice acquire only a slight degree of protection against tuberculosis by immunization with mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) hsp65 in incomplete freund's adjuvant, protection is substantial following immunization by injection with j774 macrophage-like tumour cells that express the protein from the mycobacterial gene via a retroviral vector. we here took the same vector, used it to transfect the gene into normal murine bone marrow cells in vitro, and then used the transfected cells to reco ... | 1995 | 8567015 |
| nucleotide sequence analysis and seroreactivities of the 65k heat shock protein from mycobacterium paratuberculosis. | mycobacterium paratuberculosis is the causative agent of johne's disease, a chronic enteritis in ruminants. it has also been implicated as a possible cause of crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. the mycobacterial 65k heat shock proteins (hsp-65k) are among the most extensively studied mycobacterial proteins, and their immunogenic characteristics have been suggested to be the basis for autoimmunization in chronic inflammatory diseases. in this context, we isolated ... | 1995 | 8574825 |
| study on nude mice inoculated with mycobacterium leprae by multiple routes. | immune-deficient nude mice were inoculated with nude mouse derived mycobacterium leprae by multiple routes (intravenously, subcutaneously at the foot pads and ears). the results showed that these inoculated animals were capable of producing a great number of mycobacterium leprae to a level 10 per gram of tissue and were detected histopathologically to have heavy lepromatous lesions. the dissemination of the infection was found particularly in sites with lower body temperature. the organisms have ... | 1995 | 8580487 |
| [infection and cytokine]. | | 1995 | 8582875 |
| [leprosy and vaccine]. | | 1995 | 8582876 |
| [heat shock protein and immunity]. | | 1995 | 8582878 |
| [present and future in leprosy research]. | | 1995 | 8582879 |
| [uveitis in leprosy patients]. | we examined 24 dermatologically cured leprosy patients with ongoing uveitis (uv+) and 22 age and type matched controls (uv-) to study the late phase leprous uv. all patients have been skin smear negative for more than 10 years. the history of chemotherapy, 5 years before and after a accomplishing bacterial negativity, was evaluated and represented by "score". it was found that anti-pgl-i and anti-lam-b antibodies were significantly higher in uv+ group compared to the controls. the mean score of ... | 1995 | 8582882 |
| [intraepidermal mass of m. leprae in a case of seborrheic keratosis due to hansen's disease (lls)]. | a 67-year-old patient has had exanthema in the lower right limb since 51 years ago (16 years old at onset), which underwent repeated remission and recurrence. at present, he has bilateral symmetrical widespread infiltrating exanthema and asymmetrical marked neuralhypertrophy, and has been diagnosed typical lls (his father had the same disease). the exanthema recurred several years ago, and the patient is being treated for hansen's disease. he had a dark brown flat elevation with a rough surface ... | 1995 | 8582883 |
| cloning and expression of the mycobacterium fortuitum superoxide dismutase gene. | in this paper we report the cloning, sequencing and expression of the superoxide dismutase (sod) gene from mycobacterium fortuitum. a single gene was found to code for superoxide dismutase activity with its identity being confirmed by expression in m. aurum. the amino acid sequence was found to be similar to that of superoxide dismutases of several other origins. a region downstream of the sod gene also showed similarities to the corresponding sequences of the two main mycobacterial pathogens: m ... | 1995 | 8586279 |
| the contribution of slippage-like processes to genome evolution. | simple sequences present in long (> 30 kb) sequences representative of the single-copy genome of five species (homo sapiens, caenorhabditis elegans, saccharomyces cerevisiae, e. coli, and mycobacterium leprae) have been analyzed. a close relationship was observed between genome size and the overall level of sequence repetition. this suggested that the incorporation of simple sequences had accompanied increases of genome size during evolution. densities of simple sequence motifs were higher in no ... | 1995 | 8587102 |
| [the problem of resistance in the treatment of mycobacterium infections: new experimental results and combinations for the treatment of tuberculosis and leprosy]. | | 1995 | 8592712 |
| 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 |
| mycobacterium tuberculosis is a natural mutant with an inactivated oxidative-stress regulatory gene: implications for sensitivity to isoniazid. | the systems participating in detoxification of reactive oxygen intermediates in mycobacterium tuberculosis are believed to play a dual role in the biology of this highly adapted human pathogen: (i) they may contribute to the survival of this bacterium in the host; and (ii) alterations in the gene encoding catalase/peroxidase have been linked to this organism's resistance to the front-line antituberculosis drug isoniazid. these relationships prompted us to extend investigations of the oxidative-s ... | 1995 | 8596438 |
| green fluorescent protein as a marker for gene expression and cell biology of mycobacterial interactions with macrophages. | the green fluorescent protein (gfp) of the jellyfish aequorea victoria offers certain advantages over other bioluminescence systems because no exogenously added substrate or co-factors are necessary, and fluorescence can be elicited by irradiation with blue light without exposing the cells producing gfp to invasive treatments. a mycobacterial shuttle-plasmid vector carrying gfp cdna was constructed and used to generate transcriptional fusions with promoters of interest and to examine their expre ... | 1995 | 8596439 |
| the hamster cheek pouch: an immunologically privileged site suitable to the study of granulomatous infections. | the hamster cheek pouch is an invagination of oral mucosa, characterized histologically as skin-like. in this paper we describe anatomical, histological and embriological features of the pouch and comment on the pouch as an immunologically privileged site since it lacks lymphatic drainage and has few langerhans cells. we present the review from literature and our observations after inoculation in the pouch of mycobacteriae (bcg, mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae) and a fungus ( ... | 1995 | 8599058 |
| analysis of the immunological humoral response to mycobacterium tuberculosis glycolipid antigens (dat, pgltb1) for diagnosis of tuberculosis in hiv-seropositive and -seronegative patients. | using an enzyme immunoassay (eia) test, the concentrations of igg antibodies against 2,3 diacyl trehalose (dat) and phenolic glycolipid tb1 (pgltb1) were measured in the sera of 153 patients with active tuberculosis, 50 of whom were coinfected with hiv, and in the sera of 152 healthy blood donors, 149 asymptomatic hiv-seropositive patients, 12 hiv-seronegative patients with conditions simulating tuberculosis, 23 hiv-seropositive patients with disseminated infection caused by mycobacteria other t ... | 1995 | 8605902 |
| 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 |
| immunohistochemical study of cutaneous neuritis in positive lepromin reactions. | sixty skin biopsies taken from positive tuberculoid and borderline-tuberculoid late lepromin reaction were studied using histological techniques. the distribution of mycobacterial antigen and nerves was demonstrated using immunochemical methods. a total of 557 nerve bundles was observed in 51 biopsies; 9 were devoid of nerves in the sections examined; 475 nerve bundles showed some relationship to the inflammatory infiltrate (85%); perineuritis being seen in 144 (30%) and endoneuritis in 5 (0.9%) ... | 1995 | 8637381 |
| extended studies on the viability of mycobacterium leprae outside the human body. | very little is known in leprosy regarding the transmission of the infection from the source to the susceptible host. one of the important factors which governs the transmission of the disease is the viability of mycobacterium leprae outside the human body. in this study m. leprae obtained from untreated patients have been subjected to several adverse conditions. their viability was verified by their multiplication in the footpads of normal mice. after drying in the shade the organisms were viabl ... | 1995 | 8637382 |
| detection of iga anti-pgl-i specific antigen to mycobacterium leprae in mangabey monkeys inoculated with m. leprae. | using sera from 4 pairs of mangabey monkeys inoculated with titrated doses of mycobacterium leprae we demonstrated that iga antibodies against m. leprae specific pgl-i antigen were present in 75% of inoculated monkey's sera. high iga antibody was detected in 50% (3/6) of infected animals and all three developed lepromatous leprosy (ll). antibody titers correlated with pgl-i antigen in serum. the highest iga peak appeared late and corresponded to the beginning of treatment, and in two of them app ... | 1995 | 8637383 |
| cd4+ t-cell responses to recombinant hsp65 and hsp18 of m. leprae and their trypsin-digested fragments in leprosy: diversity in hla-dr restriction. | mycobacterium leprae heat-shock proteins hsp65 and hsp18 have received immense attention as major t-cell target antigens in leprosy. both of these hsps and their tryptic fragments were characterized for their ability to stimulate cd4+ t cells derived from polar leprosy cases and healthy contacts. the optimal digestion of hsps with trypsin yielded four fragments of hsp65--tdb65-1 (24 kda), tdb65-2 (18 kda), tdb65-3 (17 kda), tdb65-4 (14 kda)-- and three of hsp18--tdb18-1 (10 kda), tdb18-2 (5 kda) ... | 1995 | 8642214 |
| study on the roles of cd4+ and cd8+ t cells in the expression of host resistance to mycobacterium leprae infection induced in athymic nude mice. | the contribution of cd4+ or cd8+ t cells in the host resistance to mycobacterium leprae was investigated. athymic balb/c nude mice were infected subcutaneously with m. leprae into the foot pads 1 or 3 weeks after adoptive transfer with whole, cd4 t cell-depleted, or cd8 t cell-depleted lymphocyte fractions prepared from spleen cells (spcs) of euthymic balb/c mice. spcs from all of the recipient mice showed nearly the same levels of proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin (pha) and lipopoly ... | 1995 | 8642217 |
| immune response of armadillos (dasypus novemcinctus). i. use of lectins to identify lymphocyte subpopulations and to evaluate cell proliferation. | lectins have been used to study populations and discrete differentiation stages of lymphocytes. likewise, lectins have been of practical importance in promoting mitogenic stimulation of lymphocytes in numerous species. in this research project, we took advantage of these tools in an attempt to identify specific subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from healthy nine-banded armadillos (dasypus novemcinctus). the same cell source served to evaluate mitogenic stimulation. twelve fitc-lab ... | 1995 | 8642218 |
| antileprosy vaccine; an apprehension. | | 1995 | 8642223 |
| regarding analysis of vaccines. | | 1995 | 8642226 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| humoral immunity in hansen's disease. | for many years immune response in leprosy has been studied. since 1960 several reports dealing with humoral immunity have been described in the literature. different autoantibody rates occur in leprosy. there is an increase in the prevalence of autoantibodies in elderly patients with long standing disease, in lepromatous leprosy and in those with reactional states. the differences in rates among various studies are attributed to different methods and variations among patient samples concerning a ... | 1995 | 8729870 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| clonal dominance and selection for similar complementarity determining region 3 motifs among t lymphocytes responding to the hla-dr3-associated mycobacterium leprae heat shock protein 65-kd peptide 3-13. | in order to establish whether specific mhc class ii-peptide complexes are capable of selecting tcr v regions, we investigated in detail the tcr beta chain used in the recognition of hla-dr3 restricted hsp65 peptide 3-13 in a tuberculoid leprosy patient. using rt-pcr, a clear dominance of the tcrbv5 gene family was observed in a hsp65 peptide 3-13-specific t-cell line; however, not in fresh, unstimulated pbmcs, pha-stimulated pbmcs, or a t-cell line specific for tetanus toxoid. dna sequence analy ... | 1995 | 8770635 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| il12 and the human immune response to mycobacteria. | | 1995 | 8839157 |
| effect of t-cell depletion on bacterial multiplication and pattern of nerve damage in m. leprae-infected mice. | various mechanisms for nerve damage in tuberculoid leprosy have been proposed. a common feature amongst them is the crucial role played by t-cells. therefore, the present study was designed to determine the role of t-cells in the induction of nerve damage in leprosy using two different protocols for obtaining graded levels of t-cell depletion: (i) cyclosporine a, for depletion of t-helper cells and (ii) anti thy 1.2, for total depletion of t-cells. the findings indicate that the early changes se ... | 1995 | 8849913 |
| in vivo activities of novel benzoxazinorifamycins against mycobacterium leprae. | among the four newly synthesized benzoxazinorifamycin derivatives, krm-1648 and krm-2312 completely inhibited the multiplication of rifampicin-sensitive as well as rifampicin-resistant strains of m. leprae in the foot-pads of mice. both were found to be more potent than rifampicin and were bactericidal. in combination with ofloxacin, another potent bactericidal drug against m. leprae, both krm-1648 and krm-2312 exhibited synergism. thus, combination of one of these benzoxazinorifamycin derivativ ... | 1995 | 8849914 |
| viability of mycobacterium leprae in lepromatous patients after five years of dapsone monotherapy supplemented with two years of multidrug therapy. | eleven lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients with a bacterial index (bi) of three and above who had undergone two years of multidrug therapy (mdt) and yet had positive skin smears at the end of treatment were chosen for this study. biopsies from the skin and lymphnodes were histopathologically evaluated for the presence of granulomas and m. leprae. m. leprae isolated from the skin and lymphnodes were inoculated into the foot-pads of normal mice to test their viability. on histopathological examinati ... | 1995 | 8849919 |
| staining of m.leprae by carbol-fuchsin prepared in different solvents. | | 1995 | 8849925 |
| 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 |