title: IgG response to purified 65- and 70-kDa mycobacterial heat shock proteins and to antigen 85 in leprosy.
abstract: IgG antibody response to mycobacterial heat-shock proteins (hsp) (the 70-kDa antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG; the 65-kDa antigen from M. leprae and M. bovis BCG) and to the fibronectin-binding antigen 85 from M. bovis BCG was analyzed in a dot-blot assay in plasma from leprosy patients and their contacts. Most plasma--whatever the status of the subjects--reacted to the hsp 70; 8 of 9 (89%) of paucibacillary patients recognized the 65 mycobacterial hsp but only 2 of 9 (22%) recognized the antigen 85. In contrast, 12 of 12 (100%) of multibacillary patients reacted with the antigen 85 and only 4 of 12 (33%) reacted to the hsp 65 from M. leprae. On the one hand, 7 of 25 (28%) of the lepromin-positive contacts and 2 of 9 (22%) of the lepromin-negative contacts recognized the antigen 85. On the other hand, 11 of 25 (44%) of the lepromin-positive contacts but only 1 of 9 (11%) of the lepromin-negative contacts reacted to the hsp65 from M. leprae. Finally, very few (10%) of the lepromin-positive controls showed a positive reaction to the M. leprae 65-kDa antigen, the BCG 65-kDa antigen, and the 85-kDa antigen of BCG. Thus, differences in binding to the hsp65 from M. leprae and to antigen 85 could be helpful in distinguishing different forms of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Launois
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: N'Diaye Niang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drowart
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Van Vooren
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sarthou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lalu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Millan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huygen
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C071448:antigen 85B, Mycobacterium leprae