Cross-reactivity of anti-10kD heat shock protein antibodies in leprosy and tuberculosis patients.
The response to recombinant 10-kD heat shock protein (HSP) of Mycobacterium leprae (rML10) was evaluated by indirect ELISA in sera from leprosy patients, household contacts, tuberculosis patients and healthy controls in a leprosy-endemic area in the North East of Argentina. Some technical parameters were analyzed: within-assay and between-assay variability, dose-response curves and detectability indexes (specificity and sensitivity) of ELISA applied to measure anti-10 kDa antibodies. High levels of these antibodies have already been reported in positive bacilloscopy patients; herein we have also demonstrated that tuberculosis patients sera cross-react with this M. leprae antigen. This test seems to have a low sensitivity and specificity for leprosy detection; it confirms that antibodies against highly conserved HSP antigens are important in the polyclonal response against mycobacterial epitopes in leprosy as well as in tuberculosis.
Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicadas (CINIBA), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
R E
RE
Rojas
S O
SO
Demichelis
M F
MF
Giménez
M L
ML
Molinari
A
A
Segal-Eiras
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D018835:Chaperonin 10 / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018835:Chaperonin 10