Murine leprosy is analogous to hum an lepromatous leprosy by similarities in host cell reaotions and some characteristics of causative agents. As in the lcsions of lepromatous lcprosy so also in the lesions of murine leprosy there arc innumerable undigested bacilli and large amounts of lipids in maerophages. The present studies were initiated as a part of a series of analysis of the chemical co...

The serum concentrations of lactoferrin were determined by competitive enzyme immunoassay in the sera of 38 lepromatous leprosy patients and 16 healthy volunteers. Of the 38 lepromatous patients, 25 were without any sign of reactions while 13 were suffering from ENL type of reactions. The lactoferrin levels, in both types of patients, were observed to be significantly higher (P < 0.01 and < 0.0...

In leprosy, lepromatous form of the disease is more severe and results from suppression of T cell response. T regulatory cells which suppress T cell response has been found in higher frequency in blood and at the site of infection in leprosy. Therefore, present study was carried out to evaluate the role of Mycobacterium leprae antigens whole cell sonicate (WCS) and especially phenolic glycolipi...

AIM To describe ocular manifestations in newly diagnosed borderline lepromatous (BL) and lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients in India. METHODS Ocular complications, at enrolment, occurring in all new borderline lepromatous and lepromatous leprosy patients detected by active case finding within the geographically defined leprosy endemic area of the Gudiyattam Taluk in India from 1991 to 1997 who...

Patients with lepromatous leprosy are unresponsive to lepromin skin-test material and possess defective lymphocyte function in vitro, including impaired mitogenesis in response to antigens of Mycobacterium leprae. It has been claimed that their macrophages cannot digest M. leprae in vitro; such a defect could explain both lepromin nonreactivity and impaired lymphocyte function on the basis of f...

Histoid leprosy, an uncommon variant of lepromatous leprosy, develops usually as relapse in lepromatous patients who are on dapsone monotherapy, but uncommonly arises de novo. This rare form of the disease, with unique clinical and histopathological features, may pose a diagnostic challenge even to astute clinicians. We report the case that occurred de novo in an elderly who presented with smal...

The Ridley-Jopling classification places leprosy patients into a spectrum with polar tuberculoid (TT) and lepromatous (LL) and middle types of borderline tuberculoid (BT), mid-borderline (BB) and borderline lepromatous (BL) leprosy. These have been categorised, for treatment purposes, into paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) depending on lesion counts and the results of skin smear exami...

A comparison of clofazimine and dapsone in the management of untreated lepromatous leprosy showed no significant differences between the two drugs in terms of morphological and bacterial indices. The incidence of erythema nodosum leprosum was similar in the two groups. Since dapsone is cheaper than clofazimine it remains the drug of choice for the routine management of untreated lepromatous lep...

A total of 466 leprosy patients in Nepal, some advanced cases, were surveyed for ocular lesions. 74.2% were found with ocular features, and 12.7% of the eyes were blind. The patients were classified in tuberculoid, borderline-borderline, and lepromatous groups. Lepromatous leprosy is responsible for major ocular complications and blindness.

Following O'Byrne's report ( If)) of the efficacy of antithyroid drugs in leprosy, an examination of the mechanism of action of methimazole in lepromatous leprosy was undertaken. In a preliminary report of this study (n), a lack of correspondence was noted be tween the clinical appearance of the patients and the histopathologic appearance of serial skin biopsies obtained during methimazole ther...