Suppression of posttreatment recurrence of experimental visceral leishmaniasis in T-cell-deficient mice by oral miltefosine

T-cell-deficient nude mice infected with Leishmania donovani were treated w ith miltefosine and then given either no treatment or intermittent miltefos ine. Intracellular visceral infection recurred in untreated mice but was su ppressed by once- or twice-weekly oral administration of miltefosine. Milte fosine may be useful as oral maintenance therapy for T-cell-deficient patie nts with visceral leishmaniasis.