title: Drug resistance patterns in Mycobacterium leprae isolates from relapsed leprosy patients attending The Leprosy Mission (TLM) Hospitals in India.
abstract: Implementation of multidrug therapy (MDT) in leprosy control programmes has significantly reduced the global prevalence of the disease in the last two decades. After many years of use of MDT, it is expected that drug resistance in Mycobacterium leprae may emerge. This is a major concern, especially during the stage of elimination. In the present study, slit-skin smears were collected from 140 leprosy relapse cases from different Leprosy Mission hospitals across India. DNA extracted from 111 (79%) of these samples was analysed for the genes associated with drug resistance in M. leprae. More than 90% of the patients relapsed as multibacillary (MB) cases. In our study, four (3.6%) of the DNA samples analysed showed mutations associated with rifampicin resistance. We also observed that mutations associated with resistance to dapsone and ofloxacin were observed in 9 (8.1%) of the DNA samples each; two samples had both dapsone and ofloxacin resistance. Further surveillance and appropriate interventions are needed to ensure the continued success of chemotherapy for leprosy.
authors.forename: Mallika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lavania
authors.forename: Rupendra S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Jadhav
authors.forename: Vedithi Sundeep
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Chaitanya
authors.forename: Ravindra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turankar
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selvasekhar
authors.forename: Loretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Famkima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Darlong
authors.forename: Ujjwal K
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Hambroom
authors.forename: Sandip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Utpal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sengupta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012008:Recurrence; D008921:Religious Missions; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007917:Leprostatic Agents