title: Experimental murine leprosy. IX. Antibodies against Mycobacterium lepraemurium in C3H and C57BL mice with murine leprosy and in patients with lepromatous leprosy.
abstract: Sera from C3H and C57BL mice infected with Mycobacterium lepraemurium (MLM) and from human leprosy patients were examined for antibodies against MLM by a crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) technique. Altogether antibodies against six or seven MLM antigens were found in the mouse sera. After a small inoculum of MLM, C3H mice produced more antibodies than C57BL mice. After a large inoculum both strains produced about the same amount of antibodies but showed qualitative differences in their response patterns. A serum pool from patients with lepromatous leprosy contained antibodies against six MLM antigens; five of these were identical with the antigens against which antibodies were found in infected mice. C57BL mice that had lost their delayed-type hypersensitivity to MLM during the course of a disseminated infection showed a fairly strong antibody response to three antigens and a weak response to three others. Since almost the same spectrum of antibodies, although in lower titres, could be demonstrated in C57BL mice with intact delayed-type hypersensitivity to the bacilli, these antibodies did not seem to interfere with the expression of cell-mediated immunity.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007123:Immunoelectrophoresis, Two-Dimensional; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H / Q000276:immunology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000276:immunology*; D009167:Mycobacterium lepraemurium / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial