Fieldsteel A H, Sato N, Colston M J
Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1981 Sep;49(3):317-23.
The neonatally thymectomized Lewis rat (NTLR) is highly susceptible to infection with M. leprae. However, a significant percentage of NTLR respond to infection with M. leprae in much the same way as do intact rats, yet show no evidence of residual thymus. To determine whether there was a correlation between the number of remaining T-cells and susceptibility to infection with M. leprae, a direct fluorescent antibody test was performed using a highly specific, absorbed antithymocyte globulin labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Both total circulating white blood cells and T-cells were significantly depressed in all NTLR examined. Although the greatest numbers of M. leprae were found in NTLR from the groups having the lowest percentage of circulating T-cells, these groups also contained NTLR infected with small numbers of M. leprae. The groups containing NTLR with the highest percentages of circulating T-cells also contained animals with both moderate and severe M. leprae infection. The response of cultured splenic lymphocytes from NTLR and normal rats to the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A was investigated to determine whether there was any correlation between T-cell activity and susceptibility to M. leprae infection. The mean stimulation index for normal rats was five to ten times greater than indices for NTLR, but there were no significant differences between NTLR with a well developed, generalized infection and those with a poorly developed infection. it was concluded that since there was no apparent relationship between T-cell depletion and susceptibility to infection with M. leprae, an additional, unknown mechanism was also involved.
新生期切除胸腺的Lewis大鼠（NTLR）对麻风杆菌感染高度易感。然而，相当比例的NTLR对麻风杆菌感染的反应与完整大鼠非常相似，但未显示出残留胸腺的迹象。为了确定剩余T细胞数量与对麻风杆菌感染易感性之间是否存在相关性，使用异硫氰酸荧光素标记的高度特异性、吸收性抗胸腺细胞球蛋白进行了直接荧光抗体检测。在所有检查的NTLR中，循环白细胞总数和T细胞均显著减少。尽管在循环T细胞百分比最低的组中的NTLR中发现的麻风杆菌数量最多，但这些组中也包含感染少量麻风杆菌的NTLR。循环T细胞百分比最高的组中的NTLR也包含患有中度和重度麻风杆菌感染的动物。研究了NTLR和正常大鼠培养的脾淋巴细胞对T细胞有丝分裂原刀豆球蛋白A的反应，以确定T细胞活性与对麻风杆菌感染的易感性之间是否存在任何相关性。正常大鼠的平均刺激指数比NTLR的指数大五到十倍，但在感染发展良好、广泛的NTLR和感染发展不良的NTLR之间没有显著差异。得出的结论是，由于T细胞耗竭与对麻风杆菌感染的易感性之间没有明显关系，因此还涉及另一种未知机制。
