Antibodies to myelin P0 and ceramide perpetuate neuropathy in long standing treated leprosy patients.

Anti neural antibodies are known to play a role in the immunopathogenesis of nerve damage in leprosy and HIV/AIDS. Myelin Protein zero (P0) and ceramide are two nerve components which maintain the integrity of the peripheral nerve. The present study was undertaken to identify antibodies to myelin P0 and ceramide in the sera of treated leprosy patients, HIV positive individuals and healthy subjects using enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). The results revealed that treated leprosy patients continue to have significantly elevated myelin P0 and ceramide antibody levels as compared to healthy subjects (P < 0.05). The elevated antibody response to myelin P0 and ceramide in leprosy patients indicate a low grade autoimmune activity that perpetuates nerve damage in treated leprosy. There was no significant difference in the myelin P0 and ceramide antibody levels between HIV positive and healthy subjects (P > 0.05) suggesting that these antibodies do not play a role in early HIV infection.