RESUMO
In May, 1933, I announced to the National Academy of Medicine, in Bogotá, that I had obtained in pure culture on Petragnani´s medium an acid-fast bacillus from the blood of patients suffering from nodular leprosy. This bacillus has the same morphology, grouping and staining reactions as the Mycobacterium leprae found in the lymph and nasal mucus in leprosy. Since that time I have kept this organism in pure culture and so far have made over forty subcultures. During the past four years I have worked with material from 66 cases and have obtained cultures from 20 of them; i.e., 30.33 percent gave positive results. I have endeavored to prove the identify of the bacillus and at present have succeded in obtaining surprising results with a complement fixation test, using a methylic antigen prepared with my culture. In the preparation of the antigen Boquet and Negret´s technique for making their tuberculous methylic antigen has been followed, and Kolmer´s technique is used for the test. If anyone wishes to try the reaction I will gladly send him culture and antigen. The results obtained in 3,038 reactions are follows...