IgA antibodies against phenolic glycolipid I from Mycobacterium leprae in serum of leprosy patients and contacts: Subclass distribution and relation to disease activity

• Published in: Clinical immunology and immunopathology Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 202 - 211
• Main Authors: Schwerer, Beatrix, Chujor, Chujor S.N., Bernheimer, Hanno, Radl, Jiri, Haaijman, Joost J., Meeker, Harry C., Sersen, Gene, Levis, William R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01.11.1989; New York, NY Academic Press; Boston
• Subjects: Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis; Antigens, Bacterial; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Glycolipids - immunology; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin A - immunology; Immunoglobulin Isotypes; Infectious diseases; Leprosy; Leprosy - immunology; Leprosy - transmission; Liposomes; Medical sciences; Mycobacterium leprae - immunology; Tropical bacterial diseases; Tropical medicine; Human; IgA; Immunoglobulins; Mycobacterium leprae; Immune response; Leprosy; Isotype; Mycobacterial infection; Enzyme immunoassay; Glycolipid; Infection; Mycobacteriales; Bacteriosis; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Serum; Actinomycetes; ELISA assay; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 0090-1229; 1090-2341
• DOI: 10.1016/0090-1229(89)90050-0

The anti-PGL-I IgA response against phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I), a specific surface antigen of Mycobacterium leprae, was demonstrated to be essentially of the IgA 1 subclass in sera from leprosy patients and contacts. Anti-PGL-I IgA 1 mean levels were found to increase significantly from the tuberculoid toward the lepromatous pole of the leprosy disease spectrum, thus resembling the predominating anti-PGL-I IgM response. Furthermore, anti-PGL-I IgA 1 values were shown to increase significantly with increasing bacillary load, measured as bacillary index (BI) from skin biopsies. However, a number of BI negative leprosy patients recorded elevated anti-PGL-I IgA 1 levels, possibly reflecting a persistence of disease activity. Three of 28 household or family contacts of leprosy patients were detected seropositive for anti-PGL-I IgA 1. Thus, our results suggest that anti-PGL-I IgA 1 may be considered as an additional parameter for the early detection of infection with M. leprae.