Caldwell H D, Kirchheimer W F, Buchanan T M
Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1979 Sep;47(3):477-83.
Acetone-killed Mycobacterium leprae separated from infected armadillo liver tissue without the use of proteases were treated with 0.2 M lithium acetate, 20 mM EDTA, pH 8.8 solution, and the concentrated antigen extract was analyzed by Ouchterlony immunodiffusion. The antigen extract gave a single immunoprecipitate when reacted with pooled lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients sera made highly specific for M. leprae by adsorption. Apparently identical precipitates were produced by reacting the antigen extract with sera of each of 15 treated LL patients, 5 of 7 patients with tuberculoid leprosy, and 3 of 4 M. leprae infected armadillos. Serum from 1 of 16 persons immunized with BCG and from none of 15 patients with chlamydial urethritis or brucellosis reacted with the antigen. Identically prepared extracts of M. smegmatis, M. phlei, M. vaccae, M. duvali and M. diernhoferi gave no immunoprecipitates with sera from LL patients or infected armadillos. Preliminary characterization indicates the antigen is protein since antigenicity was destroyed by pronase and/or heat treatment. The relative specificity of the protein antigen for M. leprae and the presence of antibody to this antigen in patients with leprosy suggest a possible role for this antigen in the serodiagnosis of leprosy.
从感染的犰狳肝脏组织中分离出的经丙酮灭活的麻风分枝杆菌，在不使用蛋白酶的情况下，用0.2M醋酸锂、20mM乙二胺四乙酸（EDTA）、pH8.8的溶液处理，然后通过双向免疫扩散法分析浓缩的抗原提取物。当该抗原提取物与通过吸附使其对麻风分枝杆菌具有高度特异性的瘤型麻风（LL）患者混合血清反应时，产生了单一的免疫沉淀。用该抗原提取物与15例经治疗的LL患者、7例结核样型麻风患者中的5例以及4只感染麻风分枝杆菌的犰狳中的3只的血清反应，产生了明显相同的沉淀。16例接种卡介苗的人中的1例血清以及15例衣原体尿道炎或布鲁氏菌病患者的血清均未与该抗原发生反应。用相同方法制备的耻垢分枝杆菌、草分枝杆菌、母牛分枝杆菌、杜氏分枝杆菌和迪氏分枝杆菌提取物与LL患者血清或感染犰狳的血清均未产生免疫沉淀。初步鉴定表明该抗原是蛋白质，因为抗原性被链霉蛋白酶和/或热处理破坏。该蛋白质抗原对麻风分枝杆菌的相对特异性以及麻风患者体内针对该抗原的抗体的存在表明该抗原在麻风血清诊断中可能具有作用。
