THE DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES IN THE SERUM OF LEPROUS PATIENTS AGAINST ACID-FAST BACILLI ANTIGENS BY THE OUCHTERLONY METHOD

Abstract

Sera were obtained from 74 leprosy patients of the Zensho Leprosarium and were tested for the presence of circulating antibodies by means of the Ouchterlony method. The results of this experiment were compared with the results obtained from the sera of leprosy patients of Fukusei Leprosarium. For control, sera taken for the Wasserman test, including pregnant women's sera, were used. The antigens employed are culture filtrate of H37Rv, BCG, atypical acid-fast organism and milk strain. In addition CF and PPDs derived from human tuberculous strain were employed. The results are as follows :
1) Twenty-seven specimens of serum from 74 leprosy patients reacted with the H37Rv antigen, fourteen specimens with the BCG antigen and twenty-three with the atypical mycobacterial antigens. Positive percent of the Ouchterlony test between leprosy sera and antigens of mycobacteria used in this experiment was almost similar to the results in Fukusei Leprosarium.
2) There was a marked difference between sera of lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy. The Ouchterlony precipitation reaction between sera of lepromatous leprosy and antigens of mycobacteria was almost positive while in the reaction between sera of tuberculoid cases and mycobacterial antigens many negative cases were shown.
3) Patients sera in macular (TM-type) and lepromatous leprosy (L-type) indicated almost the same results by Ouchterlony precipitation technique. However, the results of the experiment with sera of anesthetic leprosy patients was quite different, and it seemed to be not related to serologlc study.
4) Sera of pregnant women and other patients taken for the Wasserman test did not show any precipitation band.
5) Some specimens of sera of leprosy and control patients reacted with the fresh milk antigen.
6) The sera of the lepromatous leprosy (L-type) reacted with PPDs antigen and were more marked than CF antigen.