IgA antibodies against phenolic glycolipid I from Mycobacterium leprae in serum of leprosy patients and contacts: subclass distribution and relation to disease activity.
The anti-PGL-I IgA response against phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I) a specific surface antigen of Mycobacterium leprae, was demonstrated to be essentially of the IgA1 subclass in sera from leprosy patients and contacts. Anti-PGL-I IgA1 mean levels were found to increase significantly from the tuberculoid toward the lepromatous pole of the leprosy disease spectrum, thus resembling the predominating anti-PGL-I IgM response. Furthermore, anti-PGL-I IgA1 values were shown to increase significantly with increasing bacillary load, measured as bacillary index (BI) from skin biopsies. However, a number of BI negative leprosy patients recorded elevated anti-PGL-I IgA1 levels possibly reflecting a persistence of disease activity. Three of 28 household or family contacts of leprosy patients were detected seropositive for anti-PGL-I IgA1. Thus, our results suggest that anti-PGL-I IgA1 may be considered as an additional parameter for the early detection of infection with M. leprae.
Schwerer
B
B
Neurological Institute, University of Vienna, Austria.
Chujor
C S
CS
Bernheimer
H
H
Radl
J
J
Haaijman
J J
JJ
Meeker
H C
HC
Sersen
G
G
Levis
W R
WR
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000276:immunology*; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission; D008081:Liposomes; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D008081:Liposomes; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae