title: Serological monitoring of the response to chemotherapy in leprosy patients.
abstract: Sixty-five patients initially seropositive for IgM anti-phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) antibodies were tested for antibody levels to PGL-I, lipoarabinomannan (LAM), and the 35-kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae at regular intervals for up to 30 months following the commencement of multidrug therapy (MDT). There was a steady decline in IgM anti-PGL-I and anti-35-kDa antibody levels to a mean of 17% and 14%, respectively, of the starting level at 24 months. The development of type 1 and type 2 reactions or the presence of drug-resistant organisms in a small number of patients had no significant influence on the changes in antibody level. The rate of decline was similar in different disease categories, but a higher proportion of lepromatous patients remained seropositive at the end of 2 years of treatment than borderline tuberculoid patients. By contrast, the mean IgG anti-LAM antibody levels remained stable or increased. Again the occurrence of type 1 or type 2 reactions had no significant effect on antibody level over 2 years. Falls in the IgM anti-PGL-I antibody levels mirrored the falls in the bacterial index in individual patients and provide an additional parameter for monitoring the response to chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Mycobacterial Research Laboratory, Anandaban Leprosy Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Britton
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Failbus
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Neupane
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Theuvenet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D003622:Dapsone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015439:Leprosy, Borderline / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007917:Leprostatic Agents; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C050016:lipoarabinomannan; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae; D003622:Dapsone; D012293:Rifampin