Subject(s)
Leprosy/microbiology , Mycobacterium/metabolism , Nocardiaceae/metabolism , Silicon/metabolism , Culture Media , HumansABSTRACT
Lysozyme concentrations have been estimated in 47 patients with lepromatous leprosy and in 50 healthy people by a single radial immunodiffusion technique using monospecific antiserum against human lysozyme. In healthy people the mean tear lysozyme concentration was 1.34 mg/ml. In leprosy patients the mean tear lysozyme concentration was 1.0 mg/ml. Anterior uveitis per se did not appear to alter the lysozyme concentration in tears.
Subject(s)
Leprosy/metabolism , Muramidase/analysis , Female , Humans , Male , Tears/analysisABSTRACT
Immunoglobulin levels in the ocular fluids have been estimated in normal subjects and lepromatous leprosy patients. In the normal tear, IgA is the major immunoglobulin while IgG is the only immunoglobulin detected in the aqueous humor. The immunoglobulin profiles in the tear and the aqueous humor in normal subjects are different. The mean IgA level in the tears of the lepromatous leprosy group is significantly lower than in the control patients. IgA and IgG levels are raised in the aqueous humor of some leprosy cases who had suffered from uveitis in the past and also in all cases with active endogenous uveitis. Therefore, in lepromatous leprosy the pattern of immunoglobulin alteration in the tear and the aqueous humor is not parallel.