Macrophage culture from untreated leprosy cases.

Macrophage cultures from the peripheral blood were performed in 25 untreated bacteraemic leprosy patients. The monocytes on conversion to macrophages in culture continued to harbour solidly stained M. Leprae till the termination of culture. It is suggested that the majority of these bacilli are viable and capable of multiplication intracellularly in macrophages if cultures could be maintained for sufficiently long periods. It was observed that bacteraemia in Leprosy can be detected by the culture technic. It has been found to be more sensitive than the leukocyte adherence method.

Behaviour of macrophages to Mycobacterium leprae. A tissue culture study.

Macrophage culture was performed on 45 healthy adults who were initially categorised on the basis of their Lepromin reactivity using Dharmendra antigen. There were 25 individuals in the Lepromin positive group and 20 in the Lepromin negative group. The cultures were challenged with M. leprae and the macrophages studied at varying time intervals of culture. No difference was evident in the behaviour of cultured macrophages to M. leprae in both the groups. The Lepra bacilli were phagocytosed by the macrophages and retained essentially intact till the termination of culture. The Lepromin reactivity of a healthy individual was not reflected on the macrophage function in vitro. The observations suggested against the possibility of an intrinsic genetically determined macrophage defect in dealing with M. leprae.

Experimental transmission of leprosy to animals: a preliminary note on attempt to transmit leprosy to the Slender loris, Loris tardigradus (Linnaeus).

A brief account of the Slender Loris, Loris tardigradus (Linnaeus) and some of its characteristics which render it suitable for leprosy transmission experiments are recorded. Handling and inoculation methods are given with some of the preliminary inoculation site biopsy results.