title: Mycobacterium leprae infection and serum lactoferrin levels.
abstract: Serum lactoferrin level, using competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, was estimated in 298 leprosy patients admitted into the hospital and attending the out-patient department of the Schieffelin Leprosy Research and Training Center. Serum from an equal number of non-leprosy individuals served as control. Mean (SD) of serum lactoferrin in non-leprosy individuals was 0.277 (0-092) microg/ml while in leprosy patients it was 0.494 (0.394) microg/ml, the difference being significant (P=0.0001). Serum lactoferrin levels were not significantly associated with type 2 reactions (P=0.613). Serum lactoferrin was significantly associated with age (P = 0.006), duration of the disease (P=0.0001), DDS monotherapy (P =0.007), deformity (P= 0.005), average bacterial index (BI) (P=0.01) and smear positivity (P=0.0001), orbicularis oculi weakness (P= 0.001), lagophthalmos (P = 0.002), corneal opacity (P = 0.001) and cataract (P=0.004) in simple regression analysis. All these variables, with the exception of smear positivity (P=0.019), lost their significance (P>0.05) when analysed using multiple regression. Serum lactoferrin showed poor association with type 1 (P = 0.286) and type II reactions (P = 0.613) and iridocyclitis (P = 0.207). We conclude that serum lactoferrin is strongly and inversely associated with increasing BI but does not show significant association with type 2 reactions.
authors.affiliation: Branch of Laboratories, Schieffelin Leprosy Research and Training Center, Karigiri, Vellore 632106, Tamil Nadu.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muruganand
authors.forename: Ebenezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: Gigi J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Ebenezer
authors.forename: Sangeeth E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rabboni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Segar
authors.forename: Charles K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Job
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000097:blood*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D007781:Lactoferrin