02212nas a2200445   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653002700051653001100078653001600089653001200105653001900117653002000136653003000156653001100186653002300197653001200220653001600232653002500248653001400273653003000287653001300317653003200330653002200362100001400384700001300398700001500411700001500426700001400441700001500455700001200470700001600482700001700498700001500515245014600530300001100676490000700687520105800694022001401752       1999                            d  c199910aAdenosine Triphosphate10aBiopsy10aClofazimine10aDapsone10aDNA, Bacterial10aDrug Evaluation10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aHumans10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMinocycline10aMycobacterium leprae10aOfloxacin10apolymerase chain reaction10aRifampin10aSensitivity and Specificity10aTreatment Outcome1 aSingh H B1 aKatoch K1 aNatrajan M1 aSharma R K1 aGupta U D1 aSharma V D1 aSingh D1 aChauhan D S1 aSrivastava K1 aKatoch V M00aEffect of treatment on PCR positivity in multibacillary leprosy patients treated with conventional and newer drugs ofloxacin and minocycline.  a179-820 v113 a<p>In order to develop objective criteria to monitor trends of therapeutic responses positivity of PCR signals and ATP assay methods has been compared in multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients. Biopsies from lesions of 95 BL/LL patients before and after one year of treatment with a new drug regimen comprising of conventional and newer drugs ofloxacin and minocycline have been studied. These biopsies were processed for bacillary ATP assay and PCR positivity for a 36 kDa gene target by earlier published methods. In the untreated patients bacillary ATP levels were detectable in all specimens and ranged from 0.02 to more than 36 pg/millions organisms. After one year of treatment ATP levels were not detectable in any of the 57 biopsies specimens available for analysis. However, PCR signals were detectable in 3 out of 57 biopsies. In two specimens signals were very weak detectable only by hybridization. It may be concluded that DNA based PCR assay may be useful in monitoring the trends of therapeutic responses in MB patients under treatment.</p>  a0001-5938