Leprostatic agent

Article summary

A leprostatic agent is a drug that interferes with proliferation of the bacterium that causes leprosy. The following agents are leprostatic agents: * acedapsone * clofazimine * dapsone * desoxyfructo-serotonin * diucifon * ethionamide * rifampicin * rifapentine * sulfameter * thalidomide Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Host defenses are crucial in determining the patient's response to the disease, the clinical presentation, and the bacillary load. These factors also influence the length of therapy and the risk of adverse reactions to medication. M. leprae cannot be grown on routine laboratory culture media, so drug sensitivity testing in vitro is not possible. Growth and drug susceptibility testing are done by injecting into animal models. One description of a clinical picture that results from tuberculoid leprosy is characterized by intact cell-mediated immunity, a positive lepromin skin reaction, granuloma formation, and a relative paucity of bacilli. At the other extreme, lepromatous leprosy is characterized by depressed cell-mediated immunity, numerous bacilli within the tissues, no granulomas, and a negative skin test for lepromin.…

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