DNA AMPLIFICATION FOR DETECTION OF LEPROSY AND ASSESSMENT OF EFFICACYOF LEPROSY CHEMOTHERAPY

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of Mycobacterium lep rae was applied to fresh skin biopsies and slit-skin smears from 122 u ntreated leprosy patients. The PCR positivity rates in biopsies were 9 5.6% in multibacillary (MB) cases and 44.2% in paucibacillary (PB) cas es. Following 1 month of treatment, MB cases declined by 54.3% and PB cases by 61.8% of initial values. Six-month values also declined from initial positivity rates to 50.3% and 53.8% of initial values in MB an d PB, respectively. Larger declines in the rate of positivity were see n for skin-smear samples at 1 and 6 months in both MB and PB, but over all PCR positivity rates were lower than biopsy rates for M. leprae.