01727nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653002500059653001900084653001100103653001200114653002500126653003000151100001400181700001200195700001000207700001300217700001400230700001500244245011400259300001000373490000700383520105700390022001401447       2004                            d  c2004 Sep-Oct10aCase-Control Studies10aDNA, Bacterial10aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10apolymerase chain reaction1 aParkash O1 aSingh H1 aRai S1 aPandey A1 aKatoch VM1 aGirdhar BK00aDetection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA for 36kDa protein in urine from leprosy patients: a preliminary report.  a275-70 v463 a<p>We have searched for Mycobacterium leprae DNA for 36kDa protein in urine using a M. leprae specific PCR technique. A limited number of 16 patients (of which 11 belonged to lepromatous leprosy and five to tuberculoid leprosy) and eight healthy individuals were included for the present study. The number of urine samples positive by PCR were 36.4% (4/11) in lepromatous patients and 40% (2/5) in tuberculoid patients. None of the samples from healthy individuals was positive. To our knowledge, the results indicate, for the first time, the presence of M. leprae DNA in urine from leprosy patients. Another important finding obtained out of the study is that amongst treated patients 66.6% (4/6) were positive whereas amongst untreated only 20% (2/10) were positive. From the present indicative data it appears that treatment improves the PCR results with urine as a sample. Thus, the approach could prove to be useful for monitoring the treatment response of individual patients and needs to be further evaluated with a large number of patients.</p>  a0036-4665