Background Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical forms depending on the patient's immune response, in particular cell-mediated immune response. Methods Cytokines can play a role in the cell-mediated immune response. Serum levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin- 1beta (IL-1β) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 55