02273nas a2200505   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653001200079653002600091653002400117653002000141653003800161653001100199653001100210653002200221653002100243653001200264653002800276653000900304653002300313653002800336653002500364653001300389653001800402100001200420700001300432700001100445700001500456700001400471700001200485700001400497700001100511700001200522700001000534700000900544700001500553700001000568700001100578245005000589300001100639490000600650520109700656022001401753       2006                            d  c2006 Jul10aAmino Acid Sequence10aAnimals10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCells, Cultured10aEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay10aFemale10aHumans10aImmunologic Tests10aInterferon-gamma10aleprosy10aLeukocytes, Mononuclear10aMice10aMice, Inbred C57BL10aMolecular Sequence Data10aMycobacterium leprae10aPeptides10aT-Lymphocytes1 aAraoz R1 aHonore N1 aBanu S1 aDemangel C1 aCissoko Y1 aArama C1 aUddin MKM1 aHadi A1 aMonot M1 aCho S1 aJi B1 aBrennan PJ1 aSow S1 aCole S00aTowards an immunodiagnostic test for leprosy.  a2270-60 v83 a<p>In addition to multidrug therapy, elimination of leprosy requires improved diagnostic methods. Using a comparative genomics approach, 17 potential protein antigens (MLP) that are restricted to Mycobacterium leprae, or of limited distribution, were produced and tested for antigen-specific immune responses on leprosy patients, healthy contacts of leprosy patients, and tuberculosis patients in Mali and Bangladesh, as well as on non-endemic controls. T-cell antigenicity of MLP was confirmed by IFN-gamma production in whole-blood assays with the highest responses observed in paucibacillary leprosy patients and healthy contacts. Four MLP behaved well in both countries and induced significantly different responses between the study groups. Peptides carrying T cell epitopes from one of the antigens gave promising results in restimulation assays in mice and immune responses were not influenced by prior exposure to BCG or environmental mycobacteria. This study provides the immunological framework for the development of a specific, peptide-based immunodiagnostic test for leprosy.</p>  a1286-4579