01435nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653001100051653001200062653002500074653001700099653000900116653001300125100001600138700001700154700001600171700002300187245009800210856008300308300001000391490000700401520075900408022001401167       1975                            d  c197510aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aNasal Mucosa10aSkin10aSulfones1 aQUAGLIATO R1 aBechelli L M1 aAlmeida J O1 aAraujo Arantes M A00aBacteriological status (point prevalence) of lepromatous outpatients under sulfone treatment.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2366341/pdf/bullwho00463-0067.pdf  a57-620 v523 a<p>The study concerns 337 outpatients with lepromatous leprosy who had been receiving dapsone treatment for 1-26 years-69% of them regularly and 31% irregularly. Routine bacterial examination (10 min per slide) by a paramedical technician showed only 50% of these patients to be bacteriologically positive. This rate attained 99% when each slide was examined for 30-60 min by a qualified bacteriologist. Other factors-apart from the limited action of sulfones-might account for these unexpected results: the material was collected by an experienced leprologist; the disease was still clinically active in 75% of the patients; about 25% of them had been treated for only 1-4 years; and the intake of dapsone in long-term treatment gradually decreases.</p>  a0042-9686