1965 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 335-340
It was already reported that the repeated injection of Mitsuda antigen produced the accelerated phenomenon on its reactivity, as seen in tuberculin reaction. However, Mitsuda antigen may have the immunogenicity, because this antigen contains the tissue and its component in addition to bacillary body. The immunogenicity of Mitsuda antigen was already reported in animal examination. Accordingly, this phenomenon was investigated in leprosy patients.
The reactions caused by Mitsuda antigen and tissue suspension were compared between the patients who had been subjected to the reaction by Mitsuda antigen and the patients who had been subjected chiefly to the reaction by Dharmendra antigen. In consequence, the sizes of reactions caused by both antigens were larger in the foremer patients than in the latter patients.
This fact should show that Mitsuda antigen had the immunogenicity and particularly the skin-tissue contained in this antigen related with this immunity. Therefore, when Mitsuda antigen is used for the intracutaneous examination in human body, unless this immunogenicity is taken into consideration as shown in the results of animal experiment, it may be the danger of erroneously reading the modified reaction against Mitsuda antigen.
