%A Butlin CR %A Soares D %A Neupane KD %A Failbus SS %A Roche PW %T IgM anti-phenolic glycolipid-I antibody measurements f rom skin-smear sites: correlation with venous antibody levels and the bacterial index %0 Journal Article %D 1997 %J International Journal of Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases %P 0148-916X %V 65 %N 4 %X Measurements of anti-phenolic glycolipid-I antibodies were made in 200 matched samples of capillary blood f rom the skin-smear site, venous blood collected on filter paper, and sera. A close correlation among the three samples was observed and a weaker correlation among the antibody levels and the average and skin-smear bacterial index. Capillary blood f rom the skinsmear site had a consistently higher level of antibodies in each sample than did the sera. The collection of capillary blood f rom skinsmear sites is a convenient and economical method of obtaining samples for serology and for measuring local antibody levels, and it may be more sensitive than measurements of antibodies in sera.