Summary Twenty-five patients ofbacilliferous leprosy (17 LL, 8 BL) were studied by the modified haemolysis method for occurrence of bacillaemia and its clearance after two multidrug therapy regimens. Acid-fast bacilli were fo und in 76% of all patients and in 88·2% LL and 50% BL patients. Bacillaemia occurred with significantly reduced frequency in patients with type II reaction. Acid-fast bacilli were demonstrable in peripheral blood after I month in one patient on MDT of an Indian Working Group and 3 lepromatous patients on WHO muItidrug therapy. However, bacillaemia could not be demonstrated in any patients after 2 and 3 months of treatment with both regimens.Bacillaemia, the finding of lepra bacilli in peripheral circulation, has been a topic of investigation since the turn of the century. I Initially bacillaemia was demonstrated in lepromatous leprosY,2,3 recently, it has been documented even in tuberculoid leprosy.4,5 The bacillaemia has been attributed to multisystem involvement in lepromatous leprosy.4 It was planned to study the occurrence of bacillaemia in lepromatous patients and assess the efficacy of multidrug therapy regimens in the clearance of bacillaemia.
Materials and methodsTwenty-five untreated patients having bacilliferous leprosy (LL/BL) formed the study group. There were 22 males and 3 fe males, with an age range of 16-58 years (mean 37·5). Ridley-Jopling classification was fo llowed.6 A haemogram, urinalysis, chest skiagram, hepatic and renal function tests were carried out before starting therapy in all cases.
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