SEROLOGIC DETERMINATION OF LEPROSY IN CHIMPANZEES

黑猩猩血清样本的纵向采集 将用ELISA法研究育种计划(DBP)以确定其效价 抗麻风分枝杆菌特异性细胞壁酚类的IgG和IgM抗体 糖脂-I(PGL-I)抗原和分支杆菌共同细胞壁抗原 脂阿拉伯甘露聚糖(Lipoarabinomanan，LAM)。抗体图谱将检测黑猩猩 暴露于麻风病的人，这是一种最近才被证明存在的疾病 在DBP黑猩猩中，并将识别可能有 亚临床麻风病。这些动物将被隔离并在更多的时间里进行研究 细节。 为了确认麻风杆菌的存在，来自黑猩猩的血清检测 亚临床麻风阳性将通过斑点酶联免疫吸附试验进一步研究 鉴定特异性PGL-I抗原并用酶联免疫吸附试验检测血清中的 新鉴定的麻风杆菌特异性35kD细胞壁蛋白抗原。 DBP麻风的来源及麻风与麻风的流行病学关系。 麻风暴露/感染的动物将使用国际 物种信息系统(ISIS)数据库，记录所有物种间的 机构黑猩猩转移。从以下网站获得的信息 参与机构关于笼子安排和物理 已确定的暴露/感染黑猩猩与其他繁殖者之间的接触将 被定位/感染，将通过以下方式寻求流行病学关系 比较两组纵向数据。 因为麻风病以前在灵长类动物中除了 人类(现在可能还有煤烟黑猩猩)，ISIS流行病学 这项研究对追踪DBP的疾病来源将是重要的。 重要的是要确定麻风杆菌的流行率。 自初步研究以来繁殖的黑猩猩表明 物种可能比自然获得的麻风病更容易感染 应该是吧。麻风病在DBP动物中的进一步传播可以通过以下方法阻止 接触者的识别、隔离和化疗。

Longitudinally-obtained serum samples from chimpanzees in the Dedicated Breeding Program (DBP) will be studied by ELISA to determine the titers of IgG and IgM antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae-specific cell wall phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) antigen and the mycobacterial common cell wall antigen lipoarabinomannan (LAM). The antibody profiles will detect chimpanzees that have been exposed to leprosy, a disease only recently shown to exist among the DBP chimps, and will identify individuals that are likely to have sub-clinical leprosy. These animals will be isolated and studied in more detail. To confirm the presence of M. leprae, sera from chimpanzees testing positive for subclinical leprosy will be studied further by a dot ELISA to identify specific PGL-I antigen and by assaying the sera by ELISA for a newly identified M. leprae-specific 35 Kd cell wall protein antigen. The origin of leprosy in the DBP and epidemiologic relationship between M. leprae exposed/infected animals will be explored using the International Species Information System (ISIS) databank that records all inter- Institutional chimpanzee transfers. Information obtained from the participating Institutions regarding caging arrangements and physical contacts between identified exposed/infected chimps and other breeders will be posure/infection, and epidemiological relationships will be sought by comparing the two sets of longitudinal data. Since leprosy has not been previously recognized among primates other than man (and now, perhaps, sooty mangabey monkeys), the ISIS epidemiologic study will be important in tracing the origin of the disease in the DBP. It is important to determine the prevalence of M. Leprae infection among the breeding chimpanzees since preliminary studies suggest that this species may be more susceptible to naturally-acquired leprosy than might be supposed. Further spread of leprosy among the DBP animals can be halted by identification, isolation and chemotherapy of the exposed individuals.