Diaminodiphenylsulfone resistance of Mycobacterium leprae due to mutations in the dihydropteroate synthase gene

Abstract

The relation between diaminodiphenylsulfone (called dapsone)-resistance and point mutations of the dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene was analyzed using dapsone resistant Mycobacterium leprae isolates derived from Japanese leprosy patients. The mutation was found at amino acid residues 53 or 55 of the DHPS. This finding suggests that two specific mutations in the DHPS gene involved in dapsone resistance of M. leprae.