Open AccessComparison of bacillary index on slit skin smear with bacillary index of granuloma in leprosy and its relevance to present therapeutic regimens
Author(s) -
Muthu Sendhil Kumaran,
Ishwara Bhat,
Madhukara Jithendriya,
Pritilata Rout,
J Elizabeth
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
indian journal of dermatology/indian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.395
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1998-3611
pISSN - 0019-5154
DOI - 10.4103/0019-5154.147791
Subject(s) - medicine , leprosy , index (typography) , dermatology , granuloma , pathology , world wide web , computer science
As the world moves toward elimination of leprosy, persistence of infective cases in endemic pockets remains a significant problem. The use of clinical criteria to decide the paucibacillary (PB) versus multibacillary (MB) regimens has greatly simplified therapy at the field setting. However, a small but significant risk of under-treatment of so-called "PB" cases which actually have significant bacillary load exists. This study was undertaken to assess this risk and compare two methods of assessment of bacillary load, namely bacillary index on slit skin smear (BIS) versus bacillary index of granuloma (BIG).