Cold reactive lymphocytotoxic antibodies in patients with tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy.

Fifty-seven sera from leprosy patients and 33 sera from age- and sex-matched hospital controls were tested for the presence of cold-reacting lymphocytotoxic antibodies (LCAs) at 15 degrees C against a panel of 30 HLA-typed normal lymphocytes. Eighteen of 57 (31.6%) leprosy sera and 22 of 33 (67%) control sera showed reactivity, but the strength of reactivity of the patients' sera was significantly more than that of the control group (p less than 0.01 by Wilcoxon rank sum test). Within the leprosy group, there was no significant difference in the reactivity of 30 tuberculoid and 27 lepromatous sera. The occurrence of LCAs was independent of the sex or the HBsAg status of the serum donor. LCA activity was not correlated with treatment status, bacillary load, or reaction state.