Antineural antibodies in sera of leprosy patients.

A microtiter plate ELISA with semipurified human nerve sonicate antigen(s) (NA) was used to screen the sera of leprosy patients. High titers of IgG and low titers of IgM classes of antineural antibodies directed to peripheral nerve antigens were detected in LL, BL, BB, BT, and TT categories of leprosy. In the Western blot, leprosy sera recognized 50- to 55-, 85- and 108-kDa molecular weight protein bands of NA. The identity of these protein bands immunoreactive with leprosy sera was checked with a panel of commercially available antibodies to known neural proteins. The 50- to 55-kDa band reacted with anti-S100 and anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies while 85 and 108 kDa could not be identified. Whole immunoglobulins isolated from leprosy sera with high titers of antineural antibodies induced cytotoxicity of the cultured glial cell line in the presence of complement.