LEPROSY
Leprosy Review
0305-7518
British Leprosy Relief Association
Colchester, UK
17-7185
0305-7518/14/064053+09
10.47276/lr.85.3.177
Original Papers
Drug resistance patterns in Mycobacterium leprae isolates from relapsed leprosy patients attending The Leprosy Mission (TLM) Hospitals in India
JadhavRupendra S.
bChaitanyaVedithi Sundeep
aTurankarRavindra
aSelvasekharAbraham
cDasLoretta
dDarlongFamkima
eHambroomUjjwal K.
fKumarSandip
gSenguptaUtpal
aa
Stanley Browne Research Laboratory, The Leprosy Mission Community Hospital, Nand Nagri, New Delhi, India – 110093
b
Department of Microbiology, Government Institute of Science, 15, Madame Cama Road, Mumbai, India – 400032
c
TLM Community Hospital Nand Nagari, Shahdara, Delhi-11009, India
d
The Leprosy Mission Hospital, Naini, Uttar Pradesh, India
e
The Leprosy Mission Home & Hospital, Purulia, West Bengal – 723 101, India
f
TLM Kothara Community Hospital Kothara, Maharashtra-444 805, India
g
The Leprosy Mission Bethesda Hospital, Champa, Chattisgarh-495 671, India
Correspondence to: Mallika Lavania, Research Scientist, Stanley Browne Laboratory, The Leprosy Mission Community Hospital, Nand Nagari, Shahdara, Delhi-110093, India (e-mail: mallikalavania@gmail.com or mallika.lavania@tlmindia.org)
01092014
85
3
177
185
25072014
© Lepra
2014
Implementation of multidrug therapy (MDT) in leprosy control programmes has significantly reduced the global prevalence of the disease in the last two decades. After many years of use of MDT, it is expected that drug resistance in Mycobacterium leprae may emerge. This is a major concern, especially during the stage of elimination. In the present study, slit-skin smears were collected from 140 leprosy relapse cases from different Leprosy Mission hospitals across India. DNA extracted from 111 (79%) of these samples was analysed for the genes associated with drug resistance in M. leprae. More than 90% of the patients relapsed as multibacillary (MB) cases. In our study, four (3.6%) of the DNA samples analysed showed mutations associated with rifampicin resistance. We also observed that mutations associated with resistance to dapsone and ofloxacin were observed in 9 (8.1%) of the DNA samples each; two samples had both dapsone and ofloxacin resistance. Further surveillance and appropriate interventions are needed to ensure the continued success of chemotherapy for leprosy.