ABSTRACT
Saliva of 116 lepric patients were scanned for antibodies in ELISA (with M. leprae cultivated in vitro used as antigen) in order to work out an invasion-free diagnostic tool for lepra. The ELISA findings for "saliva-serum" pairs from same patients showed an increased level of antibodies both in serum and saliva in 39.7% of cases, and matching of results (positive and negative ones) was observed in 73.3% of patients. The increasing level of specific antibodies as observed in intensification of the lepric process in blood serum occurred simultaneously with its increase in saliva. The invasion-free diagnostics of lepra is promising for examinations of contact persons and of population in endemic regions as well as for evaluating the efficiency of the antilepric therapy.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/analysis , Leprosy/diagnosis , Mycobacterium leprae/immunology , Saliva/chemistry , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Humans , Leprosy/immunology , Leprosy/microbiology , Male , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
The paper presents the results of studied of cultural biochemical and immunochemical properties of the cultured mycobacteria isolated from patients with leprous lesions of (M.01, M.011) and the soil (M. lufu) in compared to other well-known mycobacteria and between them. M.01, M.011, and M. lufu differ from other representatives of the genus Mycobacterium, but they are close to each other in their cultural biochemical and immunochemical properties, antigenic composition, and protein spectra. The findings are an additional characteristic of the biological properties of M.01, M.011, and M. lufu.
Subject(s)
Leprosy/microbiology , Mycobacterium leprae/isolation & purification , Mycobacterium/isolation & purification , Soil Microbiology , Animals , Antigens, Bacterial/analysis , Culture Media , Drug Resistance, Microbial , Guinea Pigs , Humans , Immunochemistry , Mycobacterium/drug effects , Mycobacterium/growth & development , Mycobacterium/immunology , Mycobacterium/metabolism , Mycobacterium leprae/drug effects , Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development , Mycobacterium leprae/immunology , Mycobacterium leprae/metabolismABSTRACT
A protective potential of M. lufu against experimental lepra was studied in mice infected with M. leprae according to Shepard. 5 and 9 months after the inoculation quantitation of the causative agent in the animals' paws indicated a protective action of M. lufu which exceeded that of BCG, M. vaccae and M. leprae. High protective activity of M. lufu is due both to its antigenic composition similarity with M. leprae and influence on immune response regulation. It is suggested to use M. lufu for design of highly effective antilepra vaccine.
Subject(s)
Leprosy/immunology , Mycobacterium/immunology , Animals , Antigens, Bacterial/analysis , Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , BCG Vaccine/immunology , Bacterial Vaccines/immunology , Leprosy/prevention & control , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred CBA , Mycobacterium leprae/immunologyABSTRACT
The effect of tuftsin was studied in vivo using CBA mice infected with M. leprae by Shepard's technique and in vitro using macrophage-like cell line P. 388 (Co-cultivated with M. leprae) and the cultivated leproma tissue. It was found out that tuftsin acted as a stimulator of M. leprae multiplication in foot-pads of mice and as a prolongator of M. leprae survival in the cells of macrophage-like cell line P .388. It is concluded that using tuftsin might be useful in view of studying different aspects of experimental leprosy.
Subject(s)
Leprosy/drug therapy , Tuftsin/therapeutic use , Animals , Cell Line , Dapsone/therapeutic use , Mice , Mice, Inbred CBA , Mycobacterium leprae/growth & development , Rifampin/therapeutic useABSTRACT
The dynamics of mycobacterial multiplication was followed in mice with intraplantar leprosy infection and preinduced macrophage insufficiency. The characteristics of Shepard's model appeared to be similar to those of the method proposed by the authors including the susceptibility to the main antileprosy drugs. Peritoneal macrophages were cytochemically studied in the process of development of mononuclear phagocyte deficiency and experimental leprosy. It was concluded that the method proposed preserving all the merits of Shepard's model should allow one to shorten significantly the duration of testing potential drugs for their antileprosy activity.
Subject(s)
Disease Models, Animal , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/complications , Leprosy/etiology , Macrophages/enzymology , Animals , Cell Division , Chronic Disease , Histocytochemistry , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/enzymology , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/microbiology , Leprosy/enzymology , Leprosy/microbiology , Mice , Mycobacterium leprae/cytology , Peritoneal Cavity/cytology , Time FactorsABSTRACT
CBA mice with induced insufficiency of mononuclear phagocyte system (MNPS) were inoculated intraplantar with M. leprae in a dose of 1 X 10(4). A significantly accelerated multiplication of M. leprae was noted in the sites of inoculation with the development of a generalized infections process and appearance in 6 months after inoculation of lepromatous structures in spleen, liver and other internal organs as compared with the animals with unchanged MNPS. The data obtained suggest that insufficiency in macrophage component of cell-mediated immunity might underline the sensibility to leprosy infection.
