Effect of dapsone on blood lactic and pyruvic acids in leprosy.

The effect of leprosy and dapsone (DDS) on the basal levels of blood lactic and pyruvic acids has been studied. In untreated tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy patients both of the acids were found to be significantly raised. The rise in lactic acid was relatively more in tuberculoid patients; whereas pyruvic was relatively more elevated in lepromatous cases. Both the acids showed a tendency to increase with the duration of the disease in lepromatous leprosy. Statistically no significant differences were observed in lactic acid levels between untreated and treated cases of both forms of leprosy, suggesting that DDS was not effective in controlling the conditions responsible for the increased lactic acid. On the other hand, pyruvic acid showed a further increase in cases who were on DDS therapy, particularly in lepromatous cases. This indicated that DDS affects pyruvic acid metabolism. Whether DDS disturbs the normal degradative pathway of pyruvic acid or affects pathways of pyruvic acid production is not clear.

A study of antispermatozoal antibodies in leprosy.

Sixty male patients with polar leprosy (33 lepromatous and 27 tuberculoid) were studied for the presence of antispermatozoal antibodies. Antibodies were detected by three different immunological tests. The sperm immobilization test was found to be the most sensitive. In lepromatous leprosy the incidence of these antibodies was higher than in tuberculoid cases. An increasing incidence of antispermatozoal antibodies was observed with the duration of the disease irrespective of the test employed for their detection. No correlation between the number of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reactions and the incidence of antibodies could be demonstrated.

Serum proteins and immunoglobulins in leprosy.

Serum proteins and immunoglobulins were studied in patients suffering from various types of leprosy. A significant increase in total protein and decrease in albumin was found in all types of leprosy except borderline-tuberculoid. Gamma globulin was found to be increased in all types. An increase of alpha-2-globulin in lepromatous, a decrease of beta globulin in borderline-lepromatous, and a decrease of alpha-2 and increase of beta globulin in borderline-tuberculoid were observed. These changes do not seem to be of diagnostic importance. A statistically significant increase of IgG in borderline-lepromatous and lepromatous, IgM in all types of leprosy and IgA only in lepromatous was found. The increase of different immunoglobulins in leprosy, especially the lepromatous type, suggests a humoral response which was found to be directly proportional to the severity of the lesion.