Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1982 Feb;47(2):225–233.

Immunoglobulin class specific antibodies to M. leprae in leprosy patients, including the indeterminate group and healthy contacts as a step in the development of methods for sero-diagnosis of leprosy.

R Melsom, M Harboe, B Myrvang, T Godal, A Belehu
PMCID: PMC1536545  PMID: 7042137

Abstract

IgA, IgM and IgG anti-M. leprae antibody activity was quantitated by solid phase radioimmunoassay in groups of untreated leprosy patients throughout the spectrum, in lepromatous leprosy patients treated for more than 10 years, in an indeterminate leprosy group, and in a non-leprosy control group. IgA, IgM and IgG anti-M. leprae antibody activity increased from the group of healthy individuals exposed to M. leprae but without clinical signs of leprosy to tuberculoid (BT and BT/TT) and further to lepromatous (BL to LL) leprosy. There was a considerable overlap in IgA antibody activity, while the overlap between controls and tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy was less than 20% in the IgM and IgG assays. After more than 10 years of treatment, the IgG anti-M. leprae activity had decreased markedly, whereas there was less effect in the IgA assay and no significant change in the IgM assay. In contrast to earlier findings, the group of 'strictly indeterminate leprosy' showed signs of an active humoral immune response against M. leprae. The IgM anti-M. leprae activity was higher in indeterminate leprosy than in the control group with virtually no overlap. IgA anti-M. leprae was higher in indeterminate leprosy, but with considerable overlap with the controls. No difference between these two groups was found in the IgG assay. The results are discussed in relation to the value of the various immunoglobulin specific anti-M. leprae assays for different purposes, including development of techniques for sero-diagnosis of leprosy.

Full text

PDF
230

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bardana E. J., Jr, McClatchy J. K., Farr R. S., Minden P. Universal occurrence of antibodies to tubercle bacilli in sera from non-tuberculous and tuberculous individuals. Clin Exp Immunol. 1973 Jan;13(1):65–77. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Closs O., Mshana R. N., Harboe M. Antigenic analysis of Mycobacterium leprae. Scand J Immunol. 1979 Mar;9(3):297–302. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1979.tb02735.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Davey T. F. A day in the life Yeeranna--a cautionary tale. Lepr Rev. 1978 Dec;49(4):269–274. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19780037. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Draper P. Cell walls of Mycobacterium leprae. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1976 Jan-Jun;44(1-2):95–98. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fazekas de St Groth, Webster R. G. Disquisitions on Original Antigenic Sin. II. Proof in lower creatures. J Exp Med. 1966 Sep 1;124(3):347–361. doi: 10.1084/jem.124.3.347. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Harboe M., Closs O., Bjorvatn B., Bjune G. Antibodies against BCG antigen 60 in mycobacterial infection. Br Med J. 1977 Aug 13;2(6084):430–433. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6084.430. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Harboe M., Closs O., Bjorvatn B., Kronvall G., Axelsen N. H. Antibody response in rabbits to immunization with Mycobacterium leprae. Infect Immun. 1977 Dec;18(3):792–805. doi: 10.1128/iai.18.3.792-805.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Huang C. L. The transmission of leprosy in man. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1980 Sep;48(3):309–318. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Melsom R., Naafs B., Harboe M., Closs O. Antibody activity against Mycobacterium leprae antigen 7 during the first year of DDS treatment in lepromatous (BL-LL) leprosy. Lepr Rev. 1978 Mar;49(1):17–29. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Myrvang B., Godal T., Feek C. M., Ridley D. S., Samuel D. R. Immune response to Mycobacterium leprae in indeterminate leprosy patients. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand B Microbiol Immunol. 1973 Oct;81(5):615–620. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1973.tb02251.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Myrvang B., Godal T., Ridley D. S., Fröland S. S., Song Y. K. Immune responsiveness to Mycobacterium leprae and other mycobacterial antigens throughout the clinical and histopathological spectrum of leprosy. Clin Exp Immunol. 1973 Aug;14(4):541–553. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Newell K. W. An epidemiologist's view of leprosy. Bull World Health Organ. 1966;34(6):827–857. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rees R. J., Chatterjee K. R., Pepys J., Tee R. D. Some immunologic aspects of leprosy. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1965 Dec;92(6):139–149. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1965.92.6P2.139. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ridley D. S., Jopling W. H. Classification of leprosy according to immunity. A five-group system. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1966 Jul-Sep;34(3):255–273. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ridley D. S. Pathology and bacteriology of early lesions in leprosy. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1971 Apr-Jun;39(2):216–224. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ridley D. S., Waters M. F. Significance of variations within the lepromatous group. Lepr Rev. 1969 Jul;40(3):143–152. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19690026. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schneerson R., Robbins J. B. Induction of serum Haemophilus influenzae type B capsular antibodies in adult volunteers fed cross-reacting Escherichia coli 075:K100:H5. N Engl J Med. 1975 May 22;292(21):1093–1096. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197505222922103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Yoder L., Naafs B., Harboe M., Bjune G. Antibody activity against Mycobacterium leprae antigen 7 in leprosy: studies on variation in antibody content throughout the spectrum and on the effect of DDS treatment and relapse in BT leprosy. Lepr Rev. 1979 Jun;50(2):113–121. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19790017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES