title: Bacillaemia and Mycobacterium leprae cell wall antigen in paucibacillary leprosy.
abstract: A study was undertaken to estimate bacillaemia and M. leprae antigen detection in 54 paucibacillary leprosy patients (TT, BT). Acid-fast bacilli were detected in the blood of 14.8% patients of borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy. M. leprae antigen was demonstrated in 48.2% patients of BT leprosy. Slit-skin smears were negative in all these patients. At the end of treatment (6 months of WHO-MDT) all the follow-up blood samples were negative for both bacillaemia and M. leprae antigen in the serum.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Dermatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Agnihotri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaishnavi
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Ganguly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial