02080nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653001700054653001900071653001200090653001900102653001900121100001300140700001300153700001200166700001600178700001200194700001500206700001300221245008100234856011400315300001200429490000600441520134100447022001401788       2020                            d  c01/202010aBacteriology10aHistopathology10aleprosy10amultibacillary10apaucibacillary1 aAnsari A1 aSaxena K1 aSingh K1 aChoudhary A1 aSingh A1 aTripathi A1 aSharma V00aClinicobacteriological evaluation of leprosy patients with 1-5 skin lesions.  uhttp://www.ijmyco.org/article.asp?issn=2212-5531;year=2020;volume=9;issue=2;spage=209;epage=211;aulast=Ansari  a209-2110 v93 a<p><b>Background: </b>Mycobacterium leprae is a noncultivable mycobacteria, and diagnosis of the disease is based on its clinical and histopathological characteristics and finding the bacteria in skin scrapings and in biopsies taken from the patients. The aim of this study was to shed light on the clinical classification (based on the number of skin lesions) used extensively in the field where patients classified as paucibacillary (PB) were positive on skin smears and histopathology leading to treatment failure and drug resistance.</p><p><b>Methods: </b>In this study, we enrolled untreated 62 leprosy patients with 1-5 skin lesions and did a detailed bacterio-histopathological analysis by slit-skin smears (SSSs) and histopathology.</p><p><b>Results: </b>Of 62 patients analyzed, 15 patients came out to be multibacillary (MB) and 47 were PB by SSS and histopathology.</p><p><b>Conclusion: </b>The findings of the present study showed that the WHO classification of leprosy based on the number of lesions seems to be inappropriate as it considers a number of MB lesions as PB only, thus misleading the treatment strategies. Hence, it is essential that a comprehensive clinicobacteriological assessment of leprosy cases should be done to ensure the appropriate bacillary status and guiding the appropriate treatment strategy.</p>  a2212-554X