Cross-reactivity of Mycobacterium leprae and M. tuberculosis and the implications for assessment of in vitro T cell function in leprosy patients.

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
W D Rawlinson, A Basten

Abstract

The cross-reactivity in vitro between Mycobacterium leprae and M. tuberculosis was studied in 41 Aboriginal Australians with leprosy, 78 uninfected contacts of leprosy patients and 38 control individuals. A vigorous T cell response to epitopes cross-reactive between these two mycobacteria was found for healthy uninfected contacts or non-contacts (controls) of leprosy patients, but not for the patients themselves. The data suggest that a vaccine based on antigen shared between M. leprae and other mycobacteria is unlikely to be useful in preventing leprosy. Further studies of responses in vitro to purified T cell-reactive antigens would be useful in designing newer vaccines for more widespread field studies of leprosy prevention.

References

Apr 10, 1975·The New England Journal of Medicine·M D Lockshin
Feb 1, 1988·Immunology and Cell Biology·W D RawlinsonS W Serjeantson
Dec 1, 1987·Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine·W J BrittonA Basten
Jan 1, 1987·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·K BaumgartA Bagshawe

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Citations

Dec 1, 1991·Clinical and Experimental Immunology·G BothamleyJ Ivanyi
Feb 24, 2001·Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics·W ChamberlinF A El-Zaatari

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