The limited spectrum of antinuclear antibodies in leprosy

Sera from 46 consecutive patients with leprosy were collected and tested against an extensive panel of defined nuclear antigens. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were present in 16% of patients, but the titer was uniformly low and there was no consistent fluorescence pattern. None of the ANA positive sera contained antibodies which reacted with native DNA, or which were directed against histones, centromeres, SSB, Sm, or ribonucleoprotein. These more specific autoantibody assays thus retained their clinical utility in the differential diagnosis of rheumatologic complaints in patients with leprosy.