Leprosy Skin Test Antigens Phase 1

This is a small Phase I trial to evaluate the safety of the use as skin test antigens of the immunologically active proteins from the soluble/cytosol and insoluble cell wall of Mycobacterium leprae. The overall objective is to generate new leprosy skin-test antigens, equivalent to tuberculin-PPD in the tuberculosis context, to be used (I) for the early diagnosis of leprosy; and (ii) as epidemiological tools to measure the incidence of disease. Evaluating new leprosy skin test antigens may provide a better way to diagnose leprosy in its early stages of infection. With the early administration of drug therapy, infected individuals can then be cured of this disease before nerve damage occurs or nodules (lepromas) start to develop on the skin. Ten healthy, leprosy-unexposed, tuberculin-negative volunteers, 18-40 years old, from within the staff of the Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, will be selected.