In vitro effect of Mycobacterium leprae suspensions on the polymorphonuclear neutrophils function of hanseniasis patients to Candida albicans and Candida pseudotropicalis.

The in vitro effect of Mycobacterium leprae suspensions on the PMN ability to phagocytizing and killing Candida albicans and Candida pseudotropicalis was studied in forty-five patients of Hansen's disease and in fifteen healthy controls. Our results show no significative differences between the different studied groups, both for the phagocytosis and for the lysis of yeasts. There was no significant changes in the mean values of these functions after previous or simultaneously incubation with Mycobacterium leprae suspensions. Those observations confirmed that there are not alterations in the enzymatic battery of PMN in Hansen's disease patients and that the Mycobacterium leprae presence does not exert stimulating effect on this in vitro model.