title: Relapse of lepromatous leprosy after WHO/MDT with rapid bacterial growth.
abstract: The authors report a case of relapse in a lepromatous patient 6 years after he had been cured by MDT/WHO/24 doses. The atypical aspect emphasized in this case is the bacterial load increase in a short period of time of 1 year after the smear count was negative, and the case reinforces the importance of patient education on release. No leprosy cases were identified in the patient's close contacts. It seems that relapse was a result of bacillary persistence, since a significant improvement was noted in relapsed lesions after two doses of MDT/WHO.
authors.affiliation: Training Center on Dermatology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: M L W
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: A P S M
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pierro
authors.forename: P A M
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: M M C
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Vilela
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004893:Erythema Nodosum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012008:Recurrence; D013909:Thorax
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents