02109nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653001200080653001600092653001200108653003000120653001100150653001100161653001400172653001200186653000900198653000900207653001600216653001900232653001700251653001300268653001200281653000900293653001800302100001300320700001700333700001100350245009600361300000800457490000700465520123700472022001401709       1988                            d  c1988 Mar10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAnimals10aClofazimine10aDapsone10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aFemale10aHumans10aIsoniazid10aleprosy10aMale10aMice10aMiddle Aged10aMuscle, Smooth10aPyrazinamide10aRifampin10aScrotum10aSkin10aThioacetazone1 aKatoch K1 aRamanathan U1 aRamu G00aPyrazinamide as a part of combination therapy for BL and LL patients--a preliminary report.  a1-90 v563 a<p>Pyrazinamide in a dose of 1500 mg was given to 63 borderline lepromatous (BL) and lepromatous (LL) leprosy patients on different drug regimens for the initial 2 months of therapy. Fifty-one BL and LL patients were put on the same drug regimens without pyrazinamide. There was a rapid and good clinical improvement in the patients in both of the groups. At the end of 2 years, the patients who received pyrazinamide had a morphological index (MI) of zero as compared to those patients who did not receive pyrazinamide, some of whom still had solidly staining bacilli. One out of 20 (5%) scrotal (smooth muscle) biopsies of the patients who received pyrazinamide had growth in the mouse foot pad as compared to 9 out of 38 (23.7%) smooth muscle biopsies of the patients who did not receive pyrazinamide. At the end of 5 years, the patients who received pyrazinamide had slightly better results compared with the non-pyrazinamide group. Pyrazinamide appears to have some effect against persisters in multibacillary leprosy. A well-controlled, randomized trial with longer duration of pyrazinamide therapy in a larger group of patients needs to be carried out to unequivocally determine the exact role of pyrazinamide in leprosy.</p>  a0148-916X