ABSTRACT
The association of mast cells and lepra bacilli was studied in the foot pad skin of immunosuppressed mice inoculated with 10(5) lepra bacilli. The mice were killed at intervals varying from 2 1/2-14 months postinoculation. M. leprae are found in large numbers in nerves, blood vessels, muscle fibres, hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands. Mastocytosis and extensive degranulation are seen at similar sites. Since these are the structures most affected in leprosy where the lepra bacilli and degranulating mast cells accumulate, there appears a close relationship between the two. This could be due to the composite role of mast cells in host tissue response and mastocytosis and degranulation may be related to this.
Subject(s)
Leprosy/pathology , Mast Cells/pathology , Mycobacterium leprae/pathogenicity , Animals , Female , Immunosuppression Therapy , Leprosy/microbiology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred CBA , Skin/pathologyABSTRACT
A asociacao de mastocitos e bacilos de Hansen foi estudada na pele do coxim plantar de camundongos timectomizados e submetidos a 900r de radiacao total inoculados com 10 elevado a 5 M. leprae. Os camundongos foram mortos em intervalos que variaram de 2 e meio a 14 meses apos a inoculacao. Bacilos foram encontrados em grande quantidade nos nervos, vasos sanguineos, fibras musculares, foliculos pilosos, glandulas sudoriparas e sebaceas.Mastocitose e granulacao extensa foram observadas nesses sitios. Ja que estas estruturas sao as mais afetadas na hanseniase, nas quais os bacilos e os mastocitos granulosos se acumulam, parece haver uma estreita correlacao entre os dois. Isto pode ser devido ao desempenho multiplo dos mastocitos na resposta dos tecidos hospedeiros; a mastocitose e a granulacao podem estar relacionadas com esses fatos
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Leprosy , Mast Cells , Mycobacterium lepraeABSTRACT
Six families with HLA-D-identical siblings suffering from leprosy were studied. Lymphocytes and macrophages isolated from the peripheral blood were co-cultured with allogeneic, HLA-D-identical cells and stimulated with M. Leprae antigens and concanavalin A. tuberculoid patients had circulating lymphocytes which showed marked functional suppression of lymphoproliferative responses to antigen and mitogen. In contrast, lepromatous patients showed weak lymphocyte suppressor activity. Macrophages derived from responder individuals augmented, while those derived from lepromatous patients inhibited, M. leprae-induced proliferation of lymphocytes.
Subject(s)
Humans , Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , Histocompatibility Antigens Class II , Lymphocyte Activation , Concanavalin A/pharmacology , Leprosy/genetics , Leprosy/immunology , Immunity, Cellular , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology , Macrophages/immunology , Mycobacterium leprae/immunologyABSTRACT
Gross changes of myelinated fibres and Schwann cells at different degenerative stages were present in all five ENL nerve lesions. Besides these changes, infiltrating cells mainly macrophages, deposition of excessive collagen and perineurial vessel damage were also observed.
Subject(s)
Humans , Schwann Cells/ultrastructure , Nerve Degeneration , Erythema Nodosum/pathology , Nerve Fibers, Myelinated/ultrastructure , Leprosy/pathology , Collagen , Blood Cells , Microscopy, Electron , Ear/innervation , Nervous System/ultrastructureABSTRACT
Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (ENL) skin lesions observed by fluorescence microscopy were found to contain immune complexes. While biopsies taken twelve of the lesions contained such deposits in the perivascular cell infiltrate. However, immunoglobulin deposits were observed in the dermis of all 25 ENL lesions studied. On the basis of localization of these fluorescent deposits the 25 skin lesions were classified under groups I to III and were correlated with the onset of the reaction. Control biopsies taken from the lepromatous leprosy patients without ENL were uniformly negative for immunoglobulin deposits.