1. Immunoglobulin G response against 10-kDa and 65-kDa heat-shock proteins in leprosy patients and their household contacts.
- Author
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Rojas RE and Segal-Eiras A
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Monoclonal immunology, Argentina epidemiology, Chaperonin 60, Drug Therapy, Combination, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Glycolipids immunology, Humans, Immunoglobulin M analysis, Immunoglobulin M biosynthesis, Leprosy diagnosis, Leprosy epidemiology, Leprosy transmission, Middle Aged, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Time Factors, Antibodies, Bacterial analysis, Antigens, Bacterial, Bacterial Proteins, Chaperonin 10 immunology, Chaperonins immunology, Immunoglobulin G analysis, Immunoglobulin G biosynthesis, Leprosy immunology, Mycobacterium leprae immunology, Recombinant Proteins immunology
- Abstract
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 with BI negatives (BI-). Among lepromatous patients a positive correlation was observed between IgG antibody responses to both recombinant antigens and IgM antibody response to PGL-I. Anti-rML10 test detected a higher percentage of positives/total than anti-rML65 in all leprosy groups and healthy contacts. Bacterial load, leprosy clinical form and the time under chemotherapy were factors which could influence levels of the antibody response. The contribution of these antibody studies for a precise and early diagnosis in leprosy is discussed.
- Published
- 1996
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