%A Sinha S
%A Chaturvedi V
%A Mishra B
%A Sengupta U
%T Analysis of circulating immune complexes f rom leprosy patients for Mycobacterium leprae antigens
%0 Journal Article
%D 1992
%J International Journal of Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases
%P 0148-916X
%V 60
%N 3
%X Circulating immune complexes (CICs) f rom 31 leprosy patients (16 tuberculoid, 15 lepromatous) and 12 healthy volunteers, precipitated by 3.5% polyethylene glycol, were individually subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using a variety of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against Mycobacterium leprae. A common mycobacterial antigen of an apparent molecular size of 65 kDa was identified in CICs f rom about 40% of the patients. No correlation was observed between the positivity for this antigen and any of the following parameters: bacterial index, M. leprae-specific antibody titers, motor nerve involvement, duration of disease or treatment. Nevertheless, patients with a relatively recent and massive infection were more frequently positive for antigen than the others.