Penicilin in treatment of leprosy. Trial in eight cases

ABSTRACT

Penicilin has been used for the treatment of seven lepromatous and one neural (Nt. in reaction) cases of leprosy in daily doses of 25,000 to 60,000 units over periods of 21 to 53 days for a total of 1,050,000 to 2,550,000 units. Three technics have been used the first, intramuscular injections every 3 hours (8 injections per day and 168 in total); the second, intravenous drip, 8 to 10 hours a day; the third, one intramuscular injection a day, in oily suspension (mixture of peanut oil and beeswax). Observation was carried on for three months after treatments were completed. Except for general improvement and/or healing of ulcers in 4 patients, decrease of blood sedimentation rate in 5 patients (with increase in 2) and increase of red corpuscles and hemoglobin in 3 patients, no clinical, bacteriological, or immunological sign was recorded revealing any specific action of penicillin on Mycobacterium leprae or on the normal course of the disease either during the time of treatment or in the three months thereafter. In two cases with lepra reaction, penicillin appeared to have no effect. Four of the patients subjected to this treatment had strongly positive serological tests for syphilis (Wassermann, Hecht, Kahn Standard, Eagle, and Briceño Rossi reactions) with past history of syphilis. Treatment with penicillin did not modify the serological results. At the time this trial was ending, a similar article by Faget and Pogge (6) confirmed the major part of the observations herein described.