title: IgM anti-phenolic glycolipid I and IgG anti-10-kDa heat shock protein antibodies in sera and immune complexes isolated from leprosy patients with or without erythema nodosum leprosum and contacts.
abstract: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the levels of anti-PGL-I and anti-10-kDa heat shock protein antibodies in serum and immune complexes isolated from leprosy patients, convivients and controls. Leprosy patients with erythema nodosum leprosum or without it were included and a comparative study was done to investigate intergroup differences. Immune complexes were precipitated from serum by polyethylene glycol 3.5%; antibody levels were measured in sera and in dissociated immune complexes by ELISA. Serum antibody levels were then correlated with immune complex-associated antibody levels. The results showed that the erythema nodosum leprosum group differed from controls, contacts and non-erythema patients in their immune complex levels. IgM anti-PGL-I and IgG anti-10-kDa heat shock protein antibodies were constituents of the immune complexes in patients with erythema nodosum leprosum, who exhibited a significant difference in their immune complex composition compared with controls, contacts and non-erythema patients; while free antibody levels (anti-PGL-I and anti-10-kDa) did not differentiate between erythema and non-erythema patients, the measurement of immune complex-associated antibodies demonstrated a significant difference between the two clinical conditions. Furthermore, the measurement of immune complex-associated anti-PGL-I IgM made it possible to differentiate between contacts and controls. The significance of these results is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Immunológicas Básicas y Aplicadas (CINIBA), UNLP, La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Demichelis
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Sarno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segal-Eiras
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D018835:Chaperonin 10 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004893:Erythema Nodosum / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018835:Chaperonin 10; D006017:Glycolipids; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols