IGG ANTIBODY SUBCLASSES, TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR AND IFN-GAMMA LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE-II LEPRA REACTION ON THALIDOMIDE TREATMENT

A group of 9 Mexican lepromatous leprosy patients was studied at the b eginning of a type II reaction (erythema nodosum leprosum, ENL) and af ter 1 or 2 months of thalidomide treatment. ENL patients at the onset of the reaction had slightly higher amounts of anti-Mycobacterium lepr ae IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies, compared to similar lepromatous patients that did not develop ENL. Neither these antibody levels nor IgM and th e other IgG subclasses were importantly modified after thalidomide tre atment. Serum TNF was significantly higher in the patients that develo ped ENL compared to those that did not develop the reaction. TNF level s were slightly decreased after 1 month of thalidomide treatment and s ignificantly decreased after 2 months of treatment. Serum IFN-gamma wa s significantly lower in patients at the onset of ENL and was increase d after 1 and 2 months of thalidomide treatment.