Rational combination of peptides derived from different Mycobacterium leprae proteins improves sensitivity for immunodiagnosis of M. leprae infection.

ABSTRACT: The stable incidence of new leprosy cases suggests that transmission of infection is continuing despite the worldwide implementation of multidrug therapy programs. Highly specific tools are required to accurately diagnose asymptomatic and early stage Mycobacterium leprae infections which are the likely sources of transmission and cannot be identified by using the detection of antibodies against phenolic glycolipid I. One of the hurdles hampering T-cell-based diagnostic tests is that M. leprae antigens cross-react at the T-cell level with antigens present in other mycobacteria, like M. tuberculosis or M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Using comparative genomics, we previously identified five candidate proteins highly restricted to M. leprae which showed promising features with respec

SUBMITTER: Geluk A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2268264 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature