Bacteriological results of treatment of lepromatous cases with diaminodiphenyl sulfone by mouth for periods up to five years

The bacteriological changes that occurred in an experimental group of 99 lepromatous case4s treated with DDS by mouth during a total five year period are reported. This treatment was started in April 1949, 63 of the cases entering the group that years and 36 in the next year; the final examinations were made in March 1954. During the period 30 of the cases were lost from the group for various reasons, so that the number of months treated in individual cases range from 14 to 60. The general average was approximately 44.5 months. At the end of the period, or at the time cases were lost from the group, 95 the total had improved to some extent, clinically and bacteriologically. This includes those cases that had to be changed to another treatment becaud=se of intolerance opr other reasons. Only 9 cases became bacteriologically negative, and another 10 nearly so, the latter with only a very few bacilli found in the five smears examined for the bacteriological indexes (BI's). This total of 19 per cent over so long a period, averaging on the whole nearly four years, is not very encouraging. However, another 25 cases were markedly improved (75 per cent less bacilli than at first), and moderately so (50 per cent less bacilli). It is impossible to predict from the degree of bacteriological positivity at the beginning of treatment how long it will take a case to clear up if it is to do so. Some cases with low BI's took more time to become negative than cases with high BI's.