Proven primary dapsone resistance in leprosy: A case report

Abstract

A patient is described who at the age of 10 years developed tuberculoid leprosy; during the next 2 years while on oral dapsone therapy, his condition deteriorated and he became lepromatous. Both clinically, and experimentally by drug sensitivity testing in mice, his strain of Mycobacterium leprae was found to be fully resistant to dapsone. His father was a known case of secondary (acquired) dapsone resistance. The potential medical and economic importance of primary sulphone resistance is discussed.