02112nas a2200277 4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002600055653002400081653001600105653001900121653001100140653001600151653001200167653002400179653001500203653001700218100001300235700001600248245008900264856007800353300001200431490000700443520137000450022001401820 1992 d c1992 May10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aAntigens, Bacterial10aGlycolipids10aHIV Infections10aHumans10aImmunoassay10aleprosy10aLipopolysaccharides10aMuramidase10aTuberculosis1 aNear K A1 aLefford M J00aUse of serum antibody and lysozyme levels for diagnosis of leprosy and tuberculosis. uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC265233/pdf/jcm00029-0085.pdf a1105-100 v303 a

Active tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy are difficult to diagnose early because there are few organisms to detect and the specific immune response does not distinguish between active and inactive disease. We developed an immunoassay for lysozyme to see whether serum lysozyme levels could be used to identify individuals with clinical leprosy or TB. The immunoassay for lysozyme proved superior to standard enzyme assays that were less sensitive and reliable. The lysozyme assay was compared with assays for antibodies to Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and M. leprae phenolic glycolipid-1. The sera tested were from Ethiopian leprosy (paucibacillary and multibacillary) and TB patients and from healthy Ethiopian and U.S. controls. The lysozyme assay was able to detect more of the individuals with TB (sensitivity, 100% for 19 patients) or leprosy (sensitivity, 86% for 36 patients) than either antibody assay. In particular, lysozyme levels were raised in a higher proportion of the paucibacillary leprosy patients (83% of 17), for whom the antibody assays were less sensitive; the LAM IgG and the phenolic glycolipid-1 IgM levels were raised in only 62 and 44% of 16 patients, respectively. The data suggest that lysozyme measurements may be useful in the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections and other chronic infectious granulomatoses.

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