title: Autoantibodies to cerebroside sulphate (sulphatide) in leprosy.
abstract: Sera from 40 leprosy patients were screened for autoantibodies to cerebroside sulphate (sulphatide). Anti-sulphatide IgM in groups of patients with lepromatous (LL) and borderline (BL + BB + BT), but not with tuberculoid (TT) disease, were significantly elevated above the levels found in endemic control subjects. Eight-six percent (18 out of 21; mean 1.59 OD units) of LL, 33% (four out of 12; mean 1.08 OD units) of borderline and 13% (one out of eight; mean 0.69 OD units) of tuberculoid patients had anti-sulphatide IgM in their sera above a cut-off value of 2 s.d. above the mean value (0.66 OD units) for control sera. Elevated anti-sulphatide IgG was detected in only one patient's serum, an individual with LL disease. The level of anti-sulphatide IgM was strongly correlated to expression of the TH3 idiotype, an idiotype previously defined by a human MoAb that bound Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid, Klebsiella capsular polysaccharide, polynucleotides and human tissues. The purified, TH3 MoAb was found in this study to bind sulphatide, but not cholesterol-3-sulphate or cerebroside. It is suggested that anti-sulphatide IgM is elevated in leprosy, in relation to the bacterial load. Anti-sulphatide IgM fell at the onset of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reaction, consistent with the deposition of serum antibodies, and thus may play a part in pathology during periods of inflammation, particularly in multibacillary patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Raynes
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: McAdam
mesh_terms: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002554:Cerebrosides / Q000276:immunology*; D004893:Erythema Nodosum / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001323:Autoantibodies; D002554:Cerebrosides; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; C083015:cerebroside sulfate