title: Pyrazinamide as a part of combination therapy for BL and LL patients--a preliminary report.
abstract: Pyrazinamide in a dose of 1500 mg was given to 63 borderline lepromatous (BL) and lepromatous (LL) leprosy patients on different drug regimens for the initial 2 months of therapy. Fifty-one BL and LL patients were put on the same drug regimens without pyrazinamide. There was a rapid and good clinical improvement in the patients in both of the groups. At the end of 2 years, the patients who received pyrazinamide had a morphological index (MI) of zero as compared to those patients who did not receive pyrazinamide, some of whom still had solidly staining bacilli. One out of 20 (5%) scrotal (smooth muscle) biopsies of the patients who received pyrazinamide had growth in the mouse foot pad as compared to 9 out of 38 (23.7%) smooth muscle biopsies of the patients who did not receive pyrazinamide. At the end of 5 years, the patients who received pyrazinamide had slightly better results compared with the non-pyrazinamide group. Pyrazinamide appears to have some effect against persisters in multibacillary leprosy. A well-controlled, randomized trial with longer duration of pyrazinamide therapy in a larger group of patients needs to be carried out to unequivocally determine the exact role of pyrazinamide in leprosy.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002991:Clofazimine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003622:Dapsone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000382:microbiology; D011718:Pyrazinamide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012611:Scrotum / Q000382:microbiology; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013828:Thioacetazone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011718:Pyrazinamide; D003622:Dapsone; D002991:Clofazimine; D013828:Thioacetazone; D007538:Isoniazid; D012293:Rifampin