T cell and cytokine patterns in leprosy skin lesions

Conclusion The skin lesions of leprosy provide a window for directly studying immune responses to a pathogen. Analysis of the local immune responses in these lesions revealed distinct T cell and cytokine patterns which correlate with resistance versus susceptibility to infection. Similar information was not often obtainable from the study of blood, underscoring the importance of investigation of the immune response at the site of disease activity. The techniques employed in these investigations are generally useful for the study of other inflammatory diseases of skin.