title: ELISA & lepromin skin tests in household contacts of leprosy patients.
abstract: A total of 438 household contacts of leprosy patients and 228 non-contacts were studied for anti-PGL-I antibodies and cell mediated immune response to Mycobacterium leprae using ELISA and lepromin tests. The contacts showed relatively higher positivity to ELISA (29.4%) and lepromin (70.5%) as compared to non-contacts who showed 9.6 and 57 per cent positivity. In contacts as well as non-contacts the seropositivity was not found to be influenced by age and sex. However, seropositivity was higher (39.7%) in the contacts of patients with multibacillary leprosy as compared to contacts (27.7%) of patients with paucibacillary leprosy.
authors.affiliation: Central Leprosy Teaching & Research Institute, Chengalpattu.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhandayuthapani
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anandan
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Bhatia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007916:Lepromin / Q000276:immunology*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007916:Lepromin