Pages 422 - 431 Volume 82, Issue 4
Back
0
Download
A
Cytokine responses to Mycobacterium leprae unique proteins differentiate between Mycobacterium leprae infected and naïve armadillos
Maria Pena
  Maria Pena
Affiliation
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care, National Hansen’s Disease Program, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
Correspondence to: Maria T Pena, NHDP Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (e-mail: maria65@lsu.edu)
 Find this author on Google Scholar
 Find this author on PubMed
a,b,*
Annemieke Geluk
  Annemieke Geluk
Affiliation
Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
 Find this author on Google Scholar
 Find this author on PubMed
c
Jolien J. Van Der Ploeg-Van Schip
  Jolien J. Van Der Ploeg-Van Schip
Affiliation
Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
 Find this author on Google Scholar
 Find this author on PubMed
c
Kees L.M.C. Franken
  Kees L.M.C. Franken
Affiliation
Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
 Find this author on Google Scholar
 Find this author on PubMed
c
Rahul Sharma
  Rahul Sharma
Affiliation
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care, National Hansen’s Disease Program, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
 Find this author on Google Scholar
 Find this author on PubMed
a,b
Richard Truman
  Richard Truman
Affiliation
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care, National Hansen’s Disease Program, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
 Find this author on Google Scholar
 Find this author on PubMed
a

New diagnostic tools for early detection of leprosy are necessary to help reduce its transmission and severity. M. leprae unique proteins have been used to assess differences in human T-cell responses in leprosy patients, household contacts and endemic controls. In this study, we examined the response of M. leprae-infected armadillos to a variety of M. leprae recombinant antigen candidates currently being examined for diagnostic efficacy in humans. Among recently M. leprae infected armadillos, IFN-γ expression was enhanced after stimulation of PBMC with all M. leprae recombinant proteins except for ML2283 (mean: 2.65 Relative Quantification (RQ)). The group mean stimulation index for M. leprae proteins ML0009, ML1601, ML2478 and ML2531 averaged 35.2 RQ and was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that measured among the non-infected, naïve group (mean 6.2 RQ). Although ML0840 tended to enhance IFN-γ levels, the mean IFN-γ transcript levels of the currently experimentally inoculated group (20.1 RQ) was not significantly different statistically (P = 0.10) from the mean of the naïve group (7.5 RQ). Also no statistically significant differences were observed in IFN-γ transcript levels between the resistant and currently experimentally inoculated group (P > 0.05) or between the resistant and the naïve group (P > 0.05) after stimulation of PBMCs with all M. leprae recombinant proteins. Only low levels of TNF-α were observed across all groups after in vitro stimulation with all the antigens examined. These data suggest that armadillos can be used effectively to help identify M. leprae specific proteins that may be applied for monitoring T-cell responses in M. leprae infected hosts as their disease progresses as well as for the early diagnosis of leprosy.

Cite this article
Maria Pena, Annemieke Geluk, Jolien J. Van Der Ploeg-Van Schip, Kees L.M.C. Franken, Rahul Sharma, Richard Truman;
Cytokine responses to Mycobacterium leprae unique proteins differentiate between Mycobacterium leprae infected and naïve armadillos; Leprosy Review; 2011; 82; 4; 422-431; DOI: 10.47276/lr.82.4.422
home.article_information

DOI: 10.47276/lr.82.4.422

articleview.journal_title: Leprosy Review
articleview.publisher: British Leprosy Relief Association
articleview.publisher_location: Colchester, UK
articleview.article_date_pre accepted on 15 November 2011 and articleview.pub_on 01 December 2011
© Lepra 2011
LEPROSY
Leprosy Review
0305-7518
British Leprosy Relief Association
Colchester, UK
42-2431
0305-7518/11/064053+10
10.47276/lr.82.4.422
Original Papers
Cytokine responses to Mycobacterium leprae unique proteins differentiate between Mycobacterium leprae infected and naïve armadillos
PenaMaria
ab
GelukAnnemieke
c
Van Der Ploeg-Van SchipJolien J.
c
FrankenKees L.M.C.
c
SharmaRahul
ab
TrumanRichard
a
a
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care, National Hansen’s Disease Program, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
b
Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, 70803
c
Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Correspondence to: Maria T Pena, NHDP Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (e-mail: )
01122011
82
4
422
431
15112011
© Lepra
2011
New diagnostic tools for early detection of leprosy are necessary to help reduce its transmission and severity. M. leprae unique proteins have been used to assess differences in human T-cell responses in leprosy patients, household contacts and endemic controls. In this study, we examined the response of M. leprae-infected armadillos to a variety of M. leprae recombinant antigen candidates currently being examined for diagnostic efficacy in humans. Among recently M. leprae infected armadillos, IFN-γ expression was enhanced after stimulation of PBMC with all M. leprae recombinant proteins except for ML2283 (mean: 2.65 Relative Quantification (RQ)). The group mean stimulation index for M. leprae proteins ML0009, ML1601, ML2478 and ML2531 averaged 35.2 RQ and was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that measured among the non-infected, naïve group (mean 6.2 RQ). Although ML0840 tended to enhance IFN-γ levels, the mean IFN-γ transcript levels of the currently experimentally inoculated group (20.1 RQ) was not significantly different statistically (P = 0.10) from the mean of the naïve group (7.5 RQ). Also no statistically significant differences were observed in IFN-γ transcript levels between the resistant and currently experimentally inoculated group (P > 0.05) or between the resistant and the naïve group (P > 0.05) after stimulation of PBMCs with all M. leprae recombinant proteins. Only low levels of TNF-α were observed across all groups after in vitro stimulation with all the antigens examined. These data suggest that armadillos can be used effectively to help identify M. leprae specific proteins that may be applied for monitoring T-cell responses in M. leprae infected hosts as their disease progresses as well as for the early diagnosis of leprosy.