Saha K, Agarwal S K, Misra R C
Scand J Immunol. 1978;8(5):397-402. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1978.tb00534.x.
Sera, intestinal secretions and intestinal biopsies were collected from twelve biopsy-proved lepromatous leprosy patients with the help of a capsule invented by Roy Choudhury. Sera from another twenty-five proved lepromatous cases were also included. Sera and intestinal aspirates from twenty-five normal subjects and twenty patients with intestinal tuberculosis were also taken as controls. Acid-fast organisms, morphologically resembling Mycobacterium leprae, were detected in the intestinal aspirates of only two leprosy patients. Immunoglobulin levels in their sera and elevation secretions were estimated by the single radial immunodiffusion technique. Significant elevation of serum IgG, IgA and IgM, selective IgA deficiency in intestinal aspirates and flattening of intestinal villi along with mononuclear cell infiltration were conspicuous observations in the leprosy group. On the other hand, the patients with intestinal tuberculosis showed elevation of the IgG level in serum as well as in the intestinal secretions. It was postulated that persistent challenge by M. leprae or its antigens to the IgA immunocytes of the intestinal epithelium might have induced tolerance leading to IgA deficiency and subsequent subtotal atrophy of the intestinal villi in the patients with lepromatous leprosy.
借助罗伊·乔杜里发明的一种胶囊，从12例经活检证实为瘤型麻风的患者身上采集了血清、肠道分泌物和肠道活检样本。另外还纳入了25例经证实为瘤型麻风病例的血清。25名正常受试者和20例肠结核患者的血清及肠道吸出物也作为对照。仅在2例麻风患者的肠道吸出物中检测到形态上类似麻风杆菌的抗酸菌。采用单向辐射免疫扩散技术测定他们血清和肠分泌物中的免疫球蛋白水平。麻风病组明显观察到血清IgG、IgA和IgM显著升高、肠道吸出物中选择性IgA缺乏以及肠绒毛变平和单核细胞浸润。另一方面，肠结核患者血清和肠道分泌物中的IgG水平升高。据推测，麻风杆菌或其抗原对肠道上皮的IgA免疫细胞的持续刺激可能诱导了耐受性，导致瘤型麻风患者出现IgA缺乏以及随后肠绒毛的部分萎缩。
