Primary dapsone resistance in Cebu, The Philippines; cause for concern.
At a time when primary dapsone resistance was prevalent in many leprosy endemic areas, Cebu in The Philippines reported only 3.6% in the period 1975-1978 and later 8.1% in the period 1979-1982. In our current study of patients in the period 1988-1992, the number increased dramatically to 52.7%. In addition, 7.9% of the isolates are highly resistant to dapsone, a level of resistance not seen in earlier studies. This finding could have severe ramifications to the World Health Organization's multidrug therapy (WHO-MDT) mode of treatment, where dapsone is one of the principal drugs. Moreover, the increase in primary dapsone resistance may be a contributing factor in the recent finding that there has been no decline in the number of new cases found in Cebu, even after the implementation of WHO-MDT in 1985. There is a need for new drugs that could be included in the multidrug treatment for multibacillary and paucibacillary leprosy.
dela Cruz
E
E
Vivarium Department, Cebu Skin Clinic, The Philippines.
Cellona
R V
RV
Balagon
M V
MV
Villahermosa
L G
LG
Fajardo
T T
TT
Abalos
R M
RM
Tan
E V
EV
Walsh
G P
GP
D000818:Animals; D003622:Dapsone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000187:drug effects*; D010679:Philippines / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence
D007917:Leprostatic Agents; D003622:Dapsone