title: Acid-fast bacillary positivity in asymptomatic individuals in leprosy endemic villages around Jhalda in West Bengal.
abstract: Three general surveys of a village population of 7000 in a highly endemic area in Purulia District, West Bengal, have included clinical examination and earlobe skin snip examinations. Multiple between-survey follow-up examinations have also been conducted of both bacillary positives and cases. In the general population 5.8% of the individuals showed bacteriological positivity with a concentration technique for AFB without showing clinical signs of infection. During two years of observation clinical leprosy was diagnosed in 13.6% of bacillary positives, in 4.8% of nuclear family contacts of clinical cases and 2.3% of the rest of the general population of the villages.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000302:isolation & purification