01661nas a2200169   4500000000100000008004100001100001700042700002000059700002100079700002100100245013700121856005500258300001100313490000900324520114400333022001401477       2015                            d1 aGuerrero G G1 aRangel-Moreno J1 aIslas-Trujillo S1 aRojas-Espinosa O00aSuccessive Intramuscular Boosting with IFN-Alpha Protects Mycobacterium bovis BCG-Vaccinated Mice against M. lepraemurium Infection.  uhttp://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2015/414027/   a4140270 v20153 a<p><u>Editor's Abstract: </u></p>

<p>Leprosy caused by Mycobacterium leprae primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves. As a human infectious disease, it is still a significant health and economic burden on developing countries. Although multidrug therapy is reducing the number of active cases to approximately 0.5 million, the number of cases per year is not declining. Therefore, alternative host-directed strategies should be addressed to improve treatment efficacy and outcome. In this work, using murine leprosy as a model, a very similar granulomatous skin lesion to human leprosy, we have found that successive IFN-alpha boosting protects BCG-vaccinated mice against M. lepraemurium infection. No difference in the seric isotype and all IgG subclasses measured, neither in the TH1 nor in the TH2 type cytokine production, was seen. However, an enhanced iNOS/NO production in BCG-vaccinated/i.m. IFN-alpha boosted mice was observed. The data provided in this study suggest a promising use for IFN-alpha boosting as a new prophylactic alternative to be explored in human leprosy by targeting host innate cell response.</p>
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