Immune responses to recombinant proteins of Mycobacterium leprae

Identification of antigenic determinants of the polar immune response in le prosy may illuminate both protection and pathogenesis, Thirty subjects Were studied (22 with polar disease and 8 healthy controls who were heavily exp osed but disease-free) by assaying the proliferative, interferon (IFN)-gamm a, and antibody responses to recombinant antigens of Mycobacterium leprae ( 10, 28, 36, and 65 kDa). The 10-kDa antigen elicited IFN-gamma production f rom all tuberculoid (TT) and borderline tuberculoid (BT) patients but littl e from controls, lepromatous (LL), or borderline lepromatous (BL) patients (P < .05). Production of 65-kDa-specific IFN-gamma was higher in TT/BT than in controls or LL/BL patients (P < .906). All subjects produced 65-kDa-spe cific antibody, but it was higher in TT/BT patients than in healthy control s, whose responses were higher than in TT/BT subjects (P = .035). The 36-kD a antibody responses were selectively increased in LL/BL subjects:(P < .02) . The intermediate phenotype of the controls suggests that M. leprae-specif ic production of IFN-gamma may contribute to pathology and to protection in leprosy.