01728nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653001200059653001200071653003000083653001100113653002300124653001200147653000900159653003200168653002500200653001300225653002500238100001100263700001200274700001300286700001100299700001300310700001100323245011600334300000900450490000700459050003200466520087800498022001401376       2001                            d  c2001 Jan-Mar10aAnimals10aDapsone10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aHumans10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMice10aMicrobial Sensitivity Tests10aMycobacterium leprae10aRifampin10aSecondary Prevention1 aLi H Y1 aRan S P1 aWeng X M1 aLi T G1 aDeng X H1 aLi F T00aRelapses in leprosy patients treated with rifampicin plus dapsone after varying periods of dapsone monotherapy.  a1-100 v73  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>Leprosy patients treated formerly with dapsone monotherapy followed by combined therapy with rifampicin plus dapsone were surveyed for relapse and rifampicin resistance. The relapse rate was significantly low for the 482 multibacillary (MB) patients receiving > 12 months combined therapy compared with the 49 MB cases receiving < 12 months of combined therapy. The relapse rate was related to the duration of dapsone monotherapy prior to combined therapy. The difference in relapse rate in 247 paucibacillary (PB) patients following > 12 months combined therapy was also of significance, compared with the 66 PB cases who had received < 12 months combined therapy. Five strains of M. leprae isolated from relapsed patients were sensitive to rifampicin by mouse foot-pad test and all relapsed patients responded favourably to fixed duration MDT regimen for MB cases.</p>  a0254-9395