Comparison of Synthetic Antigens for Detecting Antibodies to Phenolic Glycolipid I in Patients with Leprosy and Their Household Contacts

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 157; no. 4; pp. 770 - 776
• Main Authors: Chanteau, Suzanne, Cartel, Jean-Louis, Roux, Jean, Plichart, Régis, Bach, Marie-Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.04.1988; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis; Antigens; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Disaccharides; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Glycoconjugates; Glycolipids; Glycolipids - immunology; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Leprosy; Leprosy - diagnosis; Leprosy - immunology; Medical sciences; Mycobacterium leprae; Oligosaccharides - immunology; Original Articles; Paucibacillary leprosy; Polynesian studies; Serologic tests; Tropical bacterial diseases; Tropical medicine; Human; Skin disease; Nervous system diseases; Mycobacterium leprae; Antibody; Family study; Leprosy; Mycobacterial infection; Enzyme immunoassay; IgM; Contact; Glycolipid; Immunological method; Infection; Mycobacteriales; At home; Bacteriosis; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; ELISA assay
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/157.4.770

Three synthetic antigens related to the natural antigen phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I) were compared for their efficacy in detecting leprosy when used as antigens in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgM antibody to PGL-I. Absorbance values for ELISAs using the three antigens correlated well (.79<r<.99) and had a high rate of agreement (89.5%<a<98.4%). Of three subjects (household contacts of patients with leprosy) who later developed the disease, one with lepromatous and one with indeterminate leprosy were seropositive by ELISAs using the three antigens before the clinical onset of disease; one who developed borderline tuberculoid leprosy was seronegative. The predictive value of a positive result for the test was very low (<2.4%) and the predictive value for a negative result was high (>99.9%) because of the low prevalence of leprosy in French Polynesia (1.78 per 1000). The high sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of the tests using the three antigens confirmed their great value for serodiagnosis of leprosy, especially the multi bacillary form; the ELISA using NTP seems to be more specific and sensitive for detecting the paucibacillary form.