01680nas a2200397   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653001000089653001900099653003200118653001100150653000900161653001100170653001200181653000900193653001600202653002500218653001700243653003000260100001500290700001900305700001300324700001500337700001400352700001500366700001600381245013700397300001100534490000700545050001600552520070000568022001401268       1995                            d  c1995 Apr10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aChild10aDNA, Bacterial10aEvaluation Studies as Topic10aFemale10aHair10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium leprae10aNasal Mucosa10apolymerase chain reaction1 aSantos A R1 aGoes Filho J T1 aNery J A1 aDuppre N C1 aGallo M E1 aSuffys P N1 aDegrave W M00aEvaluation of PCR mediated DNA amplification in non-invasive biological specimens for subclinical detection of Mycobacterium leprae.  a113-200 v11  aSANTOS 19953 a<p>DNA from Mycobacterium leprae, present in non-invasive clinical samples from leprosy patients, such as nasal secretion and hair bulbs, was submitted to amplification by the polymerase chain reaction using a M. leprae-specific repetitive sequence as a target. After optimization of sample processing and of the PCR conditions, we were able to detect DNA from M. leprae in both types of clinical samples, even from paucibacillary leprosy patients. The use of hair bulbs and nasal secretion as clinical samples for screening of household contacts and for the evaluation of a risk population, or for the follow-up of patients under chemotherapy, and monitoring of bacterial load is discussed.</p>  a0928-8244