EFFORTS IN DIAGNOSING EARLY LEPROSY USING SEROLOGICAL TECHNIQUES

Skin scrapings obtained from the lesions of leprosy patients of all ty pes showed 96% positivity to the serum antibody competition test using monoclonal antibody (ML04) to 35 kDa antigen of Mycobacterium leprae. Further, in vitro culture of full thickness skin biopsies from leprom atous patients were noted to release IgG antibodies to M. leprae with a peak antibody response at 48 h. The significance of this local antib ody response to M. leprae in skin has been discussed for its possible use in diagnosing early leprosy.