The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a multidrug therapy (MDT) regimen for multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients in 1982 which was to be administered for a minimum period of 2 years or until a skin smear was negative for acid-fast bacilli, whichever was later. This regimen contains rifampin, dapsone and clofazimine. A single dose of rifampin was shown to effect a high degree of bacterial killing (99.9%). The combined therapy administered for 2 years may be adequate to bring about "total" bacterial killing and to prevent the emergence of drug resistance and persisters. In this study, 360 smear-positive and previously untreated MB leprosy patients were treated with WHO/MDT for 2 years; 22.8% of these MB patients developed lepra reaction during therapy and 10.7% during surveillance. The bacterial index continued to decline even after termination of fixed-duration therapy. None of these patients relapsed during 886 person-years of surveillance.
BT - International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690969?dopt=Abstract DA - 1996 Jun IS - 2 J2 - Int. J. Lepr. Other Mycobact. Dis. LA - eng N2 -The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a multidrug therapy (MDT) regimen for multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients in 1982 which was to be administered for a minimum period of 2 years or until a skin smear was negative for acid-fast bacilli, whichever was later. This regimen contains rifampin, dapsone and clofazimine. A single dose of rifampin was shown to effect a high degree of bacterial killing (99.9%). The combined therapy administered for 2 years may be adequate to bring about "total" bacterial killing and to prevent the emergence of drug resistance and persisters. In this study, 360 smear-positive and previously untreated MB leprosy patients were treated with WHO/MDT for 2 years; 22.8% of these MB patients developed lepra reaction during therapy and 10.7% during surveillance. The bacterial index continued to decline even after termination of fixed-duration therapy. None of these patients relapsed during 886 person-years of surveillance.
PY - 1996 SP - 123 EP - 7 T2 - International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association TI - Fixed-duration therapy (FDT) in multibacillary leprosy; efficacy and complications. UR - http://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v64n2a04.pdf VL - 64 SN - 0148-916X ER -