title: Detection of viable organisms in leprosy patients treated with multidrug therapy.
abstract: Cutaneous biopsies were collected from multibacillary leprosy patients who attended the out-patient department of Jalma Institute for treatment at different time intervals, i.e. 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months and 42 months after starting multidrug therapy (MDT) when they were still skin smear positive. Biopsies were processed for inoculation into mouse foot pad (MFP) and estimation of bacillary ATP levels by bioluminescent assay (ATP assay) by earlier established procedures. Viable bacilli were detectable after 1 year (25% cases by MFP and 31% cases by ATP assay), 2 years (8% cases by MFP and 12% cases by ATP assay) and 3 years (4% cases by both MFP and ATP assays). Overall, the percentage of the persisters was 10% by MFP and 13% by ATP assay. It would be important to carry out surveillance studies in larger number of BL/LL cases to know the trends and also the resultant relapses.
authors.affiliation: Central Jalma Institute for Leprosy (ICMR), Taj Ganj, Agra, India.
authors.forename: U D
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katoch
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Natrajan
authors.forename: V D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Katoch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents