title: Persister studies in leprosy patients after multi-drug treatment.
abstract: Cutaneous biopsies were collected from leprosy patients who attended the out-patient department of the Institute for treatment at different intervals, i.e., 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, and more after beginning the multi-drug treatment therapy (M.D.T.). The patients belonged to the two drug regimens; (i) standard multibacillary (MB) M.D.T. after 12, 24, and 36 months; or (ii) standard M.D.T. + Minocycline 100 mg once a month (supervised) + Ofloxacin 400 mg once a month supervised for 12 months Biopsies were processed for mouse footpad inoculation and for estimating ATP levels by bioluminescence assay as per established methods. Viable bacilli were observed in 23.5% up to 1 year, 7.1% at 2 years, and in 3.84% at 3 years of M.D.T. by MFP and 29.4%, 10.7%, and 3.84% by ATP assay in the M.D.T. group at the same time period, respectively, but not in M.D.T. + Minocycline + Ofloxacin group after one year. The overall percentage of persisters was 5.55% by MFP and 7.14% by ATP assay up to 3 years of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Central JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Tajganj, Agra 282001, 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 M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Katoch
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000032:analysis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015439:Leprosy, Borderline / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008911:Minocycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015242:Ofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007917:Leprostatic Agents; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D015242:Ofloxacin; D008911:Minocycline