RESUMO
Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) manifest the full histopathological spectrum of leprosy, and are hosts of choice for in vivo propagation of Mycobacterium leprae. Though potentially useful as a model of leprosy pathogenesis, few armadillo-specific reagents exist. We have identified a region of high homology to the interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) of other mammals within the recently published armadillo whole genomic sequence. cDNA was made from ConA-stimulated armadillo peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), amplified, and cloned into a pET expression vector for transformation and over-expression in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein (rDnIFN-gamma) was characterized by western blot and its biological function confirmed with bioassays including intracellular killing of Toxoplasma gondii and induction of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase activity. In using rIFN-gamma to activate macrophages from mice, humans or armadillos, similar to humans, rIFN-gamma-activated armadillo MPhi did not produce nitrite and or inhibit the viability of M. leprae in vitro. Conversely, murine rIFN-gamma-activated mouse MPhi produced high levels of nitrite and killed intracellular M. leprae in vitro. These data indicate that the response of armadillo MPhi to rDnIFN-gamma is similar to that which occurs in humans, and demonstrates a potentially important value of the armadillo as a model in leprosy research.
Assuntos
Tatus/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Interferon gama/metabolismo , Interferon gama/farmacologia , Macrófagos/efeitos dos fármacos , Mycobacterium leprae/fisiologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Anticorpos/imunologia , Tatus/genética , Sequência de Bases , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , DNA Complementar/genética , Humanos , Indolamina-Pirrol 2,3,-Dioxigenase/metabolismo , Interferon gama/química , Interferon gama/genética , Macrófagos/citologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Nitritos/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/química , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/farmacologia , Proteínas Recombinantes , Alinhamento de Sequência , Homologia de Sequência de AminoácidosRESUMO
Humanized monoclonal antibodies to tumor necrosis factor- alpha are valuable for the treatment of rheumatologic conditions, but they have been associated with the development of serious infections. We report the first 2 cases of leprosy developing after treatment with infliximab. After discontinuation of infliximab, both patients developed type 1 ("reversal") leprosy reactions.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Monoclonais/efeitos adversos , Antirreumáticos/efeitos adversos , Artrite/tratamento farmacológico , Hanseníase Dimorfa/etiologia , Idoso , Anticorpos Monoclonais/imunologia , Anticorpos Monoclonais/uso terapêutico , Antirreumáticos/imunologia , Antirreumáticos/uso terapêutico , Feminino , Glucocorticoides/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Infliximab , Hansenostáticos/uso terapêutico , Hanseníase Dimorfa/induzido quimicamente , Hanseníase Dimorfa/microbiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/antagonistas & inibidoresRESUMO
Leprosy is best understood as two conjoined diseases. The first is a chronic mycobacterial infection that elicits an extraordinary range of cellular immune responses in humans. The second is a peripheral neuropathy that is initiated by the infection and the accompanying immunological events. The infection is curable but not preventable, and leprosy remains a major global health problem, especially in the developing world, publicity to the contrary notwithstanding. Mycobacterium leprae remains noncultivable, and for over a century leprosy has presented major challenges in the fields of microbiology, pathology, immunology, and genetics; it continues to do so today. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of M. leprae and the host response to it, especially concerning molecular identification of M. leprae, knowledge of its genome, transcriptome, and proteome, its mechanisms of microbial resistance, and recognition of strains by variable-number tandem repeat analysis. Advances in experimental models include studies in gene knockout mice and the development of molecular techniques to explore the armadillo model. In clinical studies, notable progress has been made concerning the immunology and immunopathology of leprosy, the genetics of human resistance, mechanisms of nerve injury, and chemotherapy. In nearly all of these areas, however, leprosy remains poorly understood compared to other major bacterial diseases.
Assuntos
Hanseníase , Mycobacterium leprae , Animais , Anti-Infecciosos/uso terapêutico , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Vacinas Bacterianas , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Suscetibilidade a Doenças/imunologia , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Genes Bacterianos/genética , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Genoma Bacteriano , Humanos , Imunidade Celular , Imunidade Inata/genética , Hansenostáticos/farmacologia , Hansenostáticos/uso terapêutico , Hanseníase/diagnóstico , Hanseníase/microbiologia , Hanseníase/terapia , Camundongos , Mycobacterium leprae/química , Mycobacterium leprae/efeitos dos fármacos , Mycobacterium leprae/isolamento & purificação , Mycobacterium leprae/fisiologia , Nervos Periféricos/microbiologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico/microbiologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico/patologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Células de Schwann/imunologia , Células de Schwann/microbiologiaRESUMO
Humanized monoclonal antibodies to tumor necrosis factor- alpha are valuable for the treatment of rheumatologic conditions, but they have been associated with the development of serious infections. We report the first 2 cases of leprosy developing after treatment with infliximab. After discontinuation of infliximab, both patients developed type 1 ([quot ]reversal[quot ]) leprosy reactions.
Assuntos
Masculino , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso , Anticorpos Monoclonais , Antirreumáticos , Artrite , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa , Glucocorticoides , Hansenostáticos , Hanseníase DimorfaRESUMO
Leprosy is best understood as two conjoined diseases. The first is a chronic mycobacterial infection that elicits an extraordinary range of cellular immune responses in humans. The second is a peripheral neuropathy that is initiated by the infection and the accompanying immunological events. The infection is curable but not preventable, and leprosy remains a major global health problem, especially in the developing world, publicity to the contrary notwithstanding. Mycobacterium leprae remains noncultivable, and for over a century leprosy has presented major challenges in the fields of microbiology, pathology, immunology, and genetics; it continues to do so today. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of M. leprae and the host response to it, especially concerning molecular identification of M. leprae, knowledge of its genome, transcriptome, and proteome, its mechanisms of microbial resistance, and recognition of strains by variable-number tandem repeat analysis. Advances in experimental models include studies in gene knockout mice and the development of molecular techniques to explore the armadillo model. In clinical studies, notable progress has been made concerning the immunology and immunopathology of leprosy, the genetics of human resistance, mechanisms of nerve injury, and chemotherapy. In nearly all of these areas, however, leprosy remains poorly understood compared to other major bacterial diseases.
Assuntos
Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Anti-Infecciosos , Células de Schwann , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Genes Bacterianos , Genoma Bacteriano , Hansenostáticos , Hanseníase , Imunidade Celular , Imunidade Inata , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Mycobacterium leprae , Nervos Periféricos , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Proteínas de Bactérias , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural , Suscetibilidade a Doenças , Vacinas BacterianasRESUMO
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is the only immunologically intact animal that regularly develops lepromatous-type leprosy when inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae. However, the ability to exploit this model for understanding the pathogenesis of leprosy has been limited by a lack of suitable immunological reagents. Recently, efforts began to sequence the entire armadillo genome, and this sequence information will help make possible the development of a wide array of new immunological reagents suitable for use with armadillos. Using the available sequence data, a region of high homology to interleukin-2 of other mammals was identified. Primers were designed to amplify the coding region corresponding to the mature peptide and its exact sequence was confirmed. cDNA was made from ConA-stimulated armadillo PBMC. The amplified coding region was sub-cloned into a pET expression vector and transformed into Escherichia coli for over-expression. The subsequent product was characterized by SDS-PAGE and bioassays. Tritiated thymidine incorporation by CTLL-2 and armadillo lymphoblasts confirmed functionality of the recombinant product. The advent of the D. novemcinctus genome sequence and subsequent generation of immunological tools will assist in advancing the armadillo as a translational model for leprosy.
Assuntos
Tatus/genética , Interleucina-2/genética , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Tatus/imunologia , Células Cultivadas , Escherichia coli/genética , Expressão Gênica , Genoma , Humanos , Interleucina-2/metabolismo , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Alinhamento de Sequência , Homologia de SequênciaRESUMO
Currently recommended control measures for treating leprosy with multidrug therapy should control the spread of drug-resistant strains; however, dapsone (DDS) resistance continues to be reported. Comprehensive estimates of drug-resistant leprosy are difficult to obtain due to the cumbersome nature of the conventional drug susceptibility testing method using mouse footpad inoculation, which requires at least 6 months to obtain results. Recently, it has been determined that DDS-resistant strains contain missense mutations in codon 53 or 55 of the folP1 gene of Mycobacterium leprae, and definitive evidence linking these mutations with DDS resistance in M. leprae has been obtained. Based on these mutations, a heteroduplex DDS M. leprae (HD-DDS-ML) assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of M. leprae and of its susceptibility to DDS. The assay relies on the PCR amplification of an M. leprae-specific 231-bp fragment of folP1 containing codons 53 and 55. The PCR products are allowed to anneal to a universal heteroduplex generator, and the separation of the resultant DNA duplexes is accomplished by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. M. leprae was detected in crude cell lysates of skin biopsy specimen homogenates from eight leprosy patients and from M. leprae-infected mouse or armadillo tissues infected with 14 separate strains using the HD-DDS-ML assay. The assay was specific for M. leprae in a comparison with results obtained from 14 species of mycobacteria other than M. leprae and four bacterial species known to colonize human skin. The HD-DDS-ML assay detected as few as 100 M. leprae organisms present in homogenates of human skin and demonstrated a 93% correlation with DDS susceptibility as determined by both DNA sequencing of folP1 and mouse footpad susceptibility testing. The HD-DDS-ML assay provides a new tool for the simultaneous detection of M. leprae and of its susceptibility to DDS from a single specimen. The assay should prove useful for drug resistance surveillance in leprosy control programs when combined with similar molecular tests developed for other drug resistance markers.
Assuntos
Dapsona/farmacologia , Análise Heteroduplex/métodos , Hansenostáticos/farmacologia , Mycobacterium leprae/efeitos dos fármacos , Mycobacterium leprae/isolamento & purificação , Sequência de Bases , DNA Bacteriano/análise , DNA Bacteriano/genética , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos , Humanos , Hanseníase/microbiologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mycobacterium leprae/genética , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
The genetic diversity and related global distribution of 51 Mycobacterium leprae isolates were studied. Isolates were obtained from leprosy patients from 12 geographically distinct regions of the world and two were obtained from nonhuman sources. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by DNA sequencing was performed targeting the rpoT gene of M. leprae. Isolates were classified into two groups based on the number of tandem repeats composed of 6 base pairs in the rpoT gene. Isolates from Japan (except Okinawa) and Korea belonged to one group, while those from Southeast Asian countries, Brazil, Haiti and Okinawa in Japan belonged to a second genotype. M. leprae obtained from two nonhuman sources (an armadillo and a mangabey monkey) revealed the latter genotype. These results demonstrate the genetic diversity of M. leprae and the related genotype-specific distribution in the world.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Bactérias , Técnicas de Tipagem Bacteriana , Hanseníase/microbiologia , Mycobacterium leprae/classificação , Mycobacterium leprae/genética , Fator sigma/genética , Genes Bacterianos , Variação Genética , Genoma Bacteriano , Genótipo , Geografia , Humanos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Ultraviolet (UV) light is recognized as a potent sterilizing aid, but its relative effectiveness against Mycobacterium leprae has not been shown. We examined the influence of UV on the growth and metabolic activity of M. leprae harvested fresh from foot pads of nude mice. Temporary static suspensions were exposed to timed intervals of UV radiation generated from a fixed source to constitute dosages ranging from 0-12.64 x 10(4) erg/cm2. The metabolic activity of the bacilli was indexed by the oxidation of 14C-palmitate in BACTEC 12-B vials. The long-term effects of irradiation on cell division and growth were assessed by inoculation of BALB/c mouse foot pads. The metabolic activity in BACTEC showed an immediate dose-response-related decline to a maximum of 50% of the control activity after exposure to 6.3 x 10(4) erg/cm2. Mouse foot pad studies showed a similar dose-response pattern. Effective-dose determinations based on metabolic or foot pad data were similar. UV doses of 3.52 x 10(4) erg/cm2 resulted in an average 50% killing, and 7.73 x 10(4) erg/cm2 killed 84% of the M. leprae exposed. This UV sensitivity is similar to that reported for M. tuberculosis. UV sterilization and disinfection practices suitable for M. tuberculosis are likely to be equally effective for M. leprae.
Assuntos
Mycobacterium leprae/efeitos da radiação , Raios Ultravioleta , Animais , Contagem de Colônia Microbiana , Relação Dose-Resposta à Radiação , Hanseníase/microbiologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Camundongos Nus , Mycobacterium leprae/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Mycobacterium leprae/metabolismo , Ácido Palmítico/química , Contagem de CintilaçãoRESUMO
Two Mycobacterium leprae genes, folP1 and folP2, encoding putative dihydropteroate synthases (DHPS), were studied for enzymatic activity and for the presence of mutations associated with dapsone resistance. Each gene was cloned and expressed in a folP knockout mutant of Escherichia coli (C600DeltafolP::Km(r)). Expression of M. leprae folP1 in C600DeltafolP::Km(r) conferred growth on a folate-deficient medium, and bacterial lysates exhibited DHPS activity. This recombinant displayed a 256-fold-greater sensitivity to dapsone (measured by the MIC) than wild-type E. coli C600, and 50-fold less dapsone was required to block (expressed as the 50% inhibitory concentration [IC(50)]) the DHPS activity of this recombinant. When the folP1 genes of several dapsone-resistant M. leprae clinical isolates were sequenced, two missense mutations were identified. One mutation occurred at codon 53, substituting an isoleucine for a threonine residue (T53I) in the DHPS-1, and a second mutation occurred in codon 55, substituting an arginine for a proline residue (P55R). Transformation of the C600DeltafolP::Km(r) knockout with plasmids carrying either the T53I or the P55R mutant allele did not substantially alter the DHPS activity compared to levels produced by recombinants containing wild-type M. leprae folP1. However, both mutations increased dapsone resistance, with P55R having the greatest affect on dapsone resistance by increasing the MIC 64-fold and the IC(50) 68-fold. These results prove that the folP1 of M. leprae encodes a functional DHPS and that mutations within this gene are associated with the development of dapsone resistance in clinical isolates of M. leprae. Transformants created with M. leprae folP2 did not confer growth on the C600DeltafolP::Km(r) knockout strain, and DNA sequences of folP2 from dapsone-susceptible and -resistant M. leprae strains were identical, indicating that this gene does not encode a functional DHPS and is not involved in dapsone resistance in M. leprae.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Dapsona/farmacologia , Di-Hidropteroato Sintase/metabolismo , Mycobacterium leprae/efeitos dos fármacos , Mycobacterium leprae/enzimologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Di-Hidropteroato Sintase/genética , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Dados de Sequência MolecularRESUMO
The folP1 gene of Mycobacterium leprae, which encodes dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS), was studied for the presence of mutations associated with resistance to dapsone (DDS). When the folP1 of several DDS-resistant clinical isolates of M. leprae were sequenced, two missense mutations were identified. One mutation occurred at codon 53, substituting isoleucine for threonine in DHPS-1, and a second mutation occurred in codon 55, substituting arginine for proline. DNA sequencing of strains of M. leprae resistant to 0.01 g% DDS in the mouse diet revealed that 13 of 14 strains contained either the 53 or 55 folP1 mutation. None of the susceptible strains and only one of five strains resistant to 0.001 g% DDS revealed a mutation in folP1, suggesting that only high-level DDS resistance is associated with the mutations identified in folP1. Development and application of simple molecular tests to assess drug-related mutations in M. leprae could establish current levels of drug resistance in leprosy as a reference point for future monitoring of drug resistance at the global level.
Assuntos
Dapsona/farmacologia , Hansenostáticos/farmacologia , Mycobacterium leprae/efeitos dos fármacos , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos , Humanos , Hanseníase/tratamento farmacológico , Testes de Sensibilidade MicrobianaRESUMO
In Brazil, there is little information about the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of paucibacillary, single skin lesion leprosy patients (SSL-PB). Only recently has the official notification system distinguished leprosy patients with a single lesion as a clinical entity, for whom the single-dose ROM (rifampin, ofloxacin and minocycline) regimen has been recommended. In this paper, we describe the baseline clinical features and the immunological background of a multicenter cohort of SSL-PB leprosy cases enrolled between December 1997-1998. Patients were recruited at health centers located in the following regions: Southeast = Rio de Janeiro; North = Amazon and Rondônia states and Center-West = Goiás state. Eligible cases were newly detected, untreated single-lesion leprosy patients without thickened nerve involvement, and were assessed by clinical, bacilloscopic and histopathological exams. The Mitsuda skin test and anti-PGL-I serology (ELISA) were also performed. Of the 299 SSL-PB leprosy patients, 259 (86.6%) fulfilled the criteria for single-dose ROM intervention. Our results showed that patients recruited from different sites had similar features, considering the clinical and immunological profiles. There was a predominance of adults (mean age 32.4; S.D. = 16.0), and a BCG scar was detected in 76.7% of the children (< or = 15 years old). Only 7 cases were diagnosed as the multibacillary type, representing less than 3% of the patients being misclassified. Our data indicate that in Brazil SSL-PB case ascertainment based on clinical and bacilloscopic criteria can be accurately defined under a routine control program; 75.0% of SSL-PB cases were Mitsuda positive (> or = 5 mm) and seropositivity for anti-PGL-I was detected in 17.3% of the patients. These data are compatible with effective cell-mediated immunity and low bacillary load, suggesting favorable clinical outcomes for most SSL-PB participants of this cohort.
Assuntos
Hanseníase Virchowiana/patologia , Mycobacterium leprae/isolamento & purificação , Seleção de Pacientes , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Anti-Infecciosos/administração & dosagem , Anti-Infecciosos/uso terapêutico , Biópsia , Brasil/epidemiologia , Criança , Estudos de Coortes , Quimioterapia Combinada , Escolaridade , Feminino , Humanos , Hansenostáticos/administração & dosagem , Hansenostáticos/uso terapêutico , Hanseníase Virchowiana/tratamento farmacológico , Hanseníase Virchowiana/epidemiologia , Hanseníase Virchowiana/microbiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Minociclina/administração & dosagem , Minociclina/uso terapêutico , Mycobacterium leprae/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Ofloxacino/administração & dosagem , Ofloxacino/uso terapêutico , Rifampina/administração & dosagem , Rifampina/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
Evidence suggests that resistance to dapsone (DDS) in Mycobacterium leprae is related to the enzyme dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS). Two M. leprae genes (folP-1 and folP-2) encoding DHPS-1 and DHPS-2, respectively, have been identified through the M. leprae genome project. We have studied DDS-susceptible and resistant strains of M. leprae to determine whether the DDS-resistant phenotype is associated with a mutation(s) in folP-2 and to establish the number of genomic copies of the gene encoding DHPS-2 (folP-2). RFLP analysis of genomic DNA from DDS-susceptible and resistant strains of M. leprae exhibited a unique 4.2 kb restriction fragment consistent with a single genomic copy of folP-2 in both phenotypes. DNA encoding folP-2 was amplified by PCR and sequenced from two susceptible and two resistant strains of M. leprae. The folP-2 sequences from these strains were identical indicating that resistance to DDS was not associated with mutation(s) in the gene encoding DHPS-2.
Assuntos
Dapsona/farmacologia , Di-Hidropteroato Sintase/genética , Hansenostáticos/farmacologia , Mutação , Mycobacterium leprae/enzimologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , DNA Bacteriano/análise , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos/genética , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mycobacterium leprae/efeitos dos fármacos , Mycobacterium leprae/genéticaRESUMO
The contributions of 23 insertion, deletion, or missense mutations within an 81-bp fragment of rpoB, the gene encoding the beta-subunit of the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, to the development of resistance to rifamycins (rifampin, rifabutin, rifapentine, and KRM-1648) in 29 rifampin-resistant clinical isolates were defined. Specific mutant rpoB alleles led to the development of cross-resistance to all rifamycins tested, while a subset of mutations were associated with resistance to rifampin and rifapentine but not to KRM-1648 or rifabutin. To further study the impact of specific rpoB mutant alleles on the development of rifamycin resistance, mutations were incorporated into the rpoB gene of M. tuberculosis H37Rv, contained on a mycobacterial shuttle plasmid, by in vitro mutagenesis. Recombinant M. tuberculosis clones containing plasmids with specific mutations in either codon 531 or 526 of rpoB exhibited high-level resistance to all rifamycins tested, whereas clones containing a plasmid with a mutation in codon 516 exhibited high-level resistance to rifampin and rifapentine but were susceptible to both rifabutin and KRM-1648. These results provided additional proof of the association of specific rpoB mutations with the development of rifamycin resistance and corroborate previous reports of the usefulness of rpoB genotyping for predicting rifamycin-resistant phenotypes.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , RNA Polimerases Dirigidas por DNA/fisiologia , Mutação , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genética , Rifamicinas/farmacologia , Sequência de Bases , DNA Bacteriano , RNA Polimerases Dirigidas por DNA/genética , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos/genética , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
Seven of eight rhesus monkeys (RM) coinfected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and Mycobacterium leprae harboured acid-fast bacilli (AFB) at sites of dermal inoculation and/or at disseminated sites at times of humane sacrifice (up to 270 days post-M. leprae inoculation) due to SIV-induced debilitation or, in one long term survivor's case, to date over 3 years post-M. leprae inoculation. Detectable AFB were cleared in biopsies of inoculation sites of RM inoculated with M. leprae alone after 63 days postinoculation; these sites have, so far, remained AFB-negative, thereafter. Compared to animals infected with M. leprae alone, RM coinfected with SIV plus M. leprae showed: 1, completely suppressed serum antibody responses to M. leprae-specific PGL-I antigen, but strong anti-SIV Gp120 antibody responses; 2, impaired sensitization of blood mononuclear cells (MNC) to in vitro recognition of M. leprae-specific antigens in blastogenic stimulation assays; 3, impaired in vitro responses of blood MNC to nonspecific (ConA) blastogenic stimuli; and 4, early post-M. leprae inoculation, there was a significant incremental diminution of percentages of blood CD4+CD29+ T-cells in addition to the existing SIV-induced diminished percentages of CD4+CD29+ T-cells. The results indicate that humoral and cellular immune responses to M. leprae antigens are compromised in M. leprae-inoculated RM previously infected with SIV. These results provide an immunologic basis for the demonstration of enhanced M. leprae persistence or leprosy susceptibility in SIV-M. leprae coinfected RM.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antibacterianos/análise , Anticorpos Antivirais/análise , Hanseníase/imunologia , Mycobacterium leprae/imunologia , Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida dos Símios/imunologia , Vírus da Imunodeficiência Símia/imunologia , Animais , Contagem de Linfócito CD4 , Relação CD4-CD8 , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Macaca mulatta , Valores de Referência , Subpopulações de Linfócitos TRESUMO
The differentiation of leprosy from other cutaneous granulomatous diseases is routinely based on characteristic histopathologic features and the demonstration of Mycobacterium leprae by acid-fast staining. Increased ascertainment of other mycobacterial infections in the skin has made this task more difficult, but the distinction remains fundamental for the selection of appropriate treatment. Experience with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, frozen tissues, and tissue lysates referred for detection of M. leprae DNA by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay during the past 4 years was reviewed. This assay was done by using primers and probes previously developed in our laboratory to amplify a 360-base-pair fragment of the gene for an 18-kD protein of M. leprae. Among biopsy samples obtained from 37 patients, PCR results were positive for 10 of 20 samples diagnosed as leprosy by histopathologic criteria and in 0 of 17 not diagnosed as leprosy. The specificity of the assay was 100% in this clinical referral material; sensitivity ranged from 50% to 83%. The PCR assay also identified M. leprae in one third of samples in which acid-fast organisms were seen and the histopathologic features were consistent with but not definitive of leprosy. In a nonendemic population, the sensitivity and specificity of PCR assay recommend its use primarily to identify M. leprae when acid-fast organisms are discernible but atypical clinical or histopathologic features obscure the diagnosis. The assay is not highly informative when acid-fast bacilli are not detectable by light microscopy.
Assuntos
DNA Bacteriano/análise , Hanseníase/diagnóstico , Mycobacterium leprae/isolamento & purificação , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Biópsia , Humanos , Hanseníase/microbiologia , Mycobacterium leprae/genética , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Pele/microbiologia , Estados UnidosRESUMO
In a double-blind study, 655 sputum specimens were obtained from individuals suspected of having tuberculosis and were analyzed for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampin susceptibility with use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based universal heteroduplex generator assay (PCR/UHG-Rif). Of the specimens containing viable M. tuberculosis, 100% of the smear-positive (n = 41) and 50% of the smear-negative (n = 6) specimens tested positive for the organism by PCR/UHG-Rif. Nineteen of 537 culture-negative specimens tested positive for M. tuberculosis by PCR/UHG-Rif and were from patients with confirmed tuberculosis who were receiving antituberculosis therapy at the time of specimen collection. Thirty-five specimens contained nontuberculous mycobacteria and were negative by PCR/UHG-Rif. Genotypic evidence of rifampin resistance in five of six culture-confirmed, rifampin-resistant isolates was obtained by PCR/UHG-Rif, yielding a sensitivity and specificity for the assay of 83% and 98.2%, respectively. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using a PCR-based assay directly on sputum specimens for simultaneous detection of M. tuberculosis and rifampin susceptibility, and they suggest that patients with smear-positive, untreated tuberculosis and those presenting with suspected drug-resistant tuberculosis are the most appropriate groups for testing by PCR/UHG-Rif.