Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Spheroidal bodies and globi of human leprosy

1973; Elsevier BV; Volume: 54; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0006-291x(73)90921-2

1090-2104

Lane Barksdale, J Convit, Kwang-Shin Kim, M. E. Pinardi,

Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis

From the plasma and/or buffy coats of 80% of 38 cases of (tuberculoid and lepromatous) leprosy have been isolated in pure culture a group of spheroidal organisms (spheroidal bodies of leprosy, SPBL) showing on various media a versatility of differention ranging from naked protoplasts to globi containing acid-fast rods. The acid-fastness of the latter, like the unique acid-fastness of leprosy bacilli from lepromatous leprosy, can be extracted with C5H5 N. Inoculation of chick embryos with SPBL elicits the nodular response evoked by homogenates of lepromatous tissue. From these nodules SPBL can be recovered in pure culture. SPBL appears to be the long sought etiologic agent of leprosy.