01904nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002300055653001100078653001800089653001300107653001200120653001800132653001300150653000900163100001500172700001500187700001600202700001200218700001400230700001500244700001200259700001600271700001500287700001500302245014400317300001000461490000600471520107500477022001401552       1990                            d  c1990 Apr10aBacterial Vaccines10aHumans10aImmunotherapy10aLepromin10aleprosy10aMycobacterium10aNeuritis10aSkin1 aTalwar G P1 aZaheer S A1 aMukherjee R1 aWalia R1 aMisra R S1 aSharma A K1 aKar H K1 aMukherjee A1 aParida S K1 aSuresh N R00aImmunotherapeutic effects of a vaccine based on a saprophytic cultivable mycobacterium, Mycobacterium w in multibacillary leprosy patients.  a121-90 v83 a<p>Immunotherapy with a vaccine consisting of autoclaved Mycobacterium w was given in addition to chemotherapy in 54 multibacillary, lepromin negative patients belonging to BB, BL and LL types of leprosy. Thirty-seven patients with similar types of diseases received chemotherapy and placebo injections. The 'vaccine' was repeated every 3 months. Bacterial clearance was more rapid in the vaccinated patients. Two lepromatous leprosy patients with initial bacterial index (BI) of 1.8 and 2.8 became bacteriologically negative in 1 year. One LL patient with BI of 6.0 had a BI fall to 0.16 after four doses of the vaccine. None of the LL patients belonging to placebo group during the same time period became bacteriologically negative. Rapid bacterial clearance was accompanied by distinct signs of clinical improvement. One hundred percent of BB, 85.7% of BL patients and 61.5% of LL patients converted to lepromin positivity after four doses of the vaccine. A significant number of vaccinated patients demonstrated an upgrading in skin lesions histopathologically.</p>  a0264-410X