Abstract
Leprosy bacilli of human origin were inoculated into a white-handed gibbon by the i.v. and i.p. routes, and also locally into ears, testis and around an ulnar nerve. The animal was observed closely during a period of nearly 15 years and did not exhibit any clinical evidence of cutaneous or neurological disease. At death, a wide range of tissues was taken for bacterial counts and histological examination, and a disseminated and progressive infection was demonstrated. Acid-fast bacilli were found in many sites; their morphological appearance distribution in nerves, and pattern of multiplication in mouse foot-pads, and also the presence of anti-mycobacterial antibody in the serum and the absence of specific lymphocyte transformation were all in keeping with an infection by Mycobacterium leprae, at an early lepromatous stage. This is probably the first fully documented report of experimental lepromatous infection in a primate. The findings are discussed in relation to the long incubation period of le promatous leprosy and the difficulties of diagnosing the disease at an early stage in man.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bechelli L. M., Martinez Dominguez V., Patwary K. M. WHO epidemiologic random sample surveys of leprosy in northern Nigeria (Katsina), Cameroon and Thailand (Khon Kaen). Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1966 Jul-Sep;34(3):223–243. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Binford C. H. The inoculation of human leprosy in the chimpanzee initiation of a long-term project. Int J Lepr. 1965 Jul-Sep;33(3 Suppl):666–668. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Donham K. J., Leininger J. R. Spontaneous leprosy-like disease in a chimpanzee. J Infect Dis. 1977 Jul;136(1):132–136. doi: 10.1093/infdis/136.1.132. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GUNDERS A. E. Progressive experimental infection with Mycobacterium leprae in a chimpanzee; a preliminary report. J Trop Med Hyg. 1958 Sep;61(9):228–230. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kirchheimer W. F., Storrs E. E. Attempts to establish the armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus Linn.) as a model for the study of leprosy. I. Report of lepromatoid leprosy in an experimentally infected armadillo. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1971 Jul-Sep;39(3):693–702. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 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]
- REES R. J. LIMITED MULTIPLICATION OF ACID-FAST BACILLI IN THE FOOT-PADS OF MICE INOCULATED WITH MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE. Br J Exp Pathol. 1964 Apr;45:207–218. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rees R. J. Drug resistance of Mycobacterium leprae, particularly to DDS. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1967 Oct-Dec;35(4):625–638. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shepard C. C., McRae D. H., Habas J. A. Sensitivity of Mycobacterium leprae to low levels of 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1966 Jul;122(3):893–896. doi: 10.3181/00379727-122-31282. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WHEELER E. A., HAMILTON E. G., HARMAN D. J. AN IMPROVED TECHNIQUE FOR THE HISTOPATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF LEPROSY. Lepr Rev. 1965 Jan;36:37–39. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19650010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]