02158nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653001200065653001600077653002600093653002500119653001300144653001100157653002000168653002600188653002100214653001200235653001800247653002500265653001100290653001800301653001200319653001800331100001500349700001200364700001300376700001200389700001300401245007100414300001100485490000700496520125500503022001401758       1975                            d  c1975 May10aAdult10aAmyloid10aAmyloidosis10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aAntibody Specificity10aEthiopia10aHumans10aImmunodiffusion10aImmunoelectrophoresis10aImmunoglobulin M10aleprosy10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium leprae10aNorway10aPlants, Toxic10aRicinus10aT-Lymphocytes1 aKronvall G1 aHusby G1 aSamuel D1 aBjune G1 aWheate H00aAmyloid-related serum component (protein ASC) IN LEPROSY PATIENTS.  a969-720 v113 a<p>The presence of amyloid-related serum component, protein ASC, in serum samples from 63 leprosy patients was investigated. Protein ASC was detected in 38% of the patients. A correlation to the disease spectrum of leprosy was apparent: polar lepromatous cases, 64% positive; borderline lepromatous, 50%; borderline tuberculoid, 36%; subpolar tuberculoid, 17%; and polar tuberculoid, negative. Antibody activity against the a antigen of Mycobacterium leprae was also determined, showing a similar correlation to the disease spectrum. Serum samples from 23 apparently healthy Ethiopians serving as controls showed a protein ASC incidence of 22%. This figure is significantly higher than the frequency found by others among healthy Norwegian blood donors. Immunoglobulin M levels among patients were elevated in the borderline lepromatous and poplar lepromatous groups. The three tuberculoid groups did not differ in this respect from the control group but were all elevated as compared to a normal Caucasian serum pool. Although raised immunoglobulin M levels seemed to parallel increased frequencies of protein ASC in the patient groups as well as in controls, this correlation might be only secondary to a primary derangement in T-cell function.</p>  a0019-9567