Open AccessSerological monitoring of previously treated lepromatous patients during a course of multiple immunotherapy treatments with heat‐killed Mycobacterium leprae and BCG
Author(s) -
DOUGLAS J. T.,
HIRSCH D. S.,
FAJARDO T. T.,
GUlDO L. S.,
KLATSER P. R.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1990.tb05491.x
Subject(s) - mycobacterium leprae , antigen , serology , immunology , seroconversion , antibody , immunotherapy , medicine , biology , immune system , virology , leprosy
SUMMARY Two‐hundred and seventy lepromatous patients who had completed treatment received multiple treatments with heat‐killed M. leprae and BCG and were monitored for changes in humoral responses to M. leprae ‐specific antigens. These patients were divided into four treatment groups: placebo ( n = 69); BCG ( n = 68); M. leprae only ( n = 71); and BCG + M. leprae ( n = 62). They were monitored for 15 months, receiving five inoculations for each treatment regimen. Two ELISA systems, one measuring antibodies to M. leprae ‐specific epitopes of the phenolic glycolipid I (NDO‐ELISA) and the other of 36‐kD protein antigens (INH‐ELISA) were used to measure serological changes during this period of immunotherapy. We found no significant increase in serological reactivity with the different treatments, as measured by NDO‐ELISA, INH‐ELISA similarly showed no significant changes, with the exception of increased values in a small group 13% (36/270) which became skin test‐positive during the course of the study. The NDO‐ELISA results indicate that use of heat‐killed M. leprae or BCG + heat‐killed M. leprae did not stimulate the humoral response to the semi‐synthetic PG‐I antigens of M. leprae . Thus, the NDO‐ELISA may be useful in monitoring the outcome of vaccine trials in which killed M. leprae or M. leprae fractions are used, since seroconversion may indicate disease, rather than a response to the vaccine material.