Analysis of vaccines prepared from armadillo-derived M. leprae; results of an inter-laboratory study coordinated by the World Health Organization. Immunology of Mycobacterial Diseases (IMMYC) Steering Committee, World Health Organization.

Preparations of armadillo-derived Mycobacterium leprae used in vaccine trials were analyzed using a combination of morphological, chemical and immunological criteria. When compared to more recent preparations, vaccine lots prepared in 1984 and 1985 were found to contain fewer intact bacilli and lower amounts of M. leprae antigens. These differences may be characteristic of the original preparations, or alternatively, may have arisen during prolonged storage. The early vaccine lots were those used in the recently published Venezuela trial.