02138nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653003600058653001200094653001700106653003000123653004300153100001400196700001700210700001400227700001700241700002100258700002000279700002100299245007400320300001400394490000800408520144200416022001401858       2020                            d  bElsevier BV10aPathology and Forensic Medicine10aSurgery10aOral Surgery10aDentistry (miscellaneous)10aRadiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging1 aMotta ACF1 aRodrigues GA1 aQUALIO NP1 aLOURENÇO AG1 aInnocentini LMAR1 aRibeiro-Silva A1 aCipriani Frade M00aCLINICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF ORAL LESIONS OF LEPROSY  ae251-e2520 v1303 aObjective. To compare clinical and immunohistopathological features of oral lesions with clinically normal oral mucosa from patients with leprosy. Study design. This is a cross-sectional study of patients with leprosy showing specific oral lesions selected from January 2000 to June 2018. Patients with leprosy who did not have oral lesions and agreed to oral biopsy were included in the comparisons of analysis, which consisted of clinical and immunohistopathological (anti-PGL1 and MLSA expression) study. Results. A total of 416 patients with leprosy were evaluated and patients with leprosy-specific oral lesions (n = 14) were included. All were men, and the majority had the lepromatous form. The oral mucosa showed acanthosis, lymphocyte exocytosis, foamy macrophages, and nonfragmented bacilli. Patients without oral lesions (n = 14) mostly had the multibacillary (MB) form, and the oral mucosa showed minimal inflammatory infiltrates and no foamy macrophages in most of the samples. PGL1 and MLSA were detected in all oral lesions and in 6 specimens from clinically normal mucosa. Conclusions. The oral cavity may be affected by leprosy in advanced stages of the MB form. Histopathological findings of oral lesions seem similar to cutaneous lesions, and anti-PGL1 and MLSA are effective markers to determine Mycobacterium leprae presence either in oral lesions or clinically normal mucosa of patients with the MB form of leprosy.  a2212-4403