Higher incidence of viable Mycobacterium leprae within the nerve as compared to skin among multibacillary leprosy patients released from multidrug therapy.

As identified by a significant growth in the footpads of immunosuppressed mice, the incidence of viable bacteria in a group of 26 multibacillary (BL-LL) patients released from multidrug (MDT) treatment was found to be two times more in the nerves (46%) as compared to skin (23%). Evidently there was a positive correlation between the overall bacterial load and the incidence of viable organisms. Bacterial growth was also observed in two out of five cases where neither the skin nor the nerve homogenate had shown any presence of acid-fast bacilli. Histopathology of biopsies, skin as well as nerve, including those having viable bacteria did not show any features of active disease.