Gelber R H, Humphres R C, Fieldsteel A H
Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1986 Jun;54(2):273-83.
The ability of the neonatally thymectomized Lewis rat (NTLR) and the congenitally athymic (nude) rat systems to detect low numbers of viable Mycobacterium leprae in tissues from lepromatous leprosy patients undergoing short-course chemotherapy was compared with that of the commonly employed mouse foot pad assay. Fifteen previously untreated lepromatous patients were randomly assigned to treatment regimens of either a single initial 1500 mg dose of rifampin plus daily doses of 100 mg of dapsone, or weekly doses of 900 mg of rifampin plus daily doses of 100 mg of dapsone. Four skin biopsies from each patient taken sequentially up to one month after initiation of therapy were used as the source of the M. leprae inocula. Only 2 of 57 skin biopsies (2%) proved positive for viable M. leprae following direct inoculation into mouse foot pads. However, 30 of 58 patient biopsies (52%) provided positive for viable M. leprae following direct passage into NTLR foot pads or in subsequent mouse subpassage. In contrast, the nude rat was observed to be a poor monitor of such trials. Although not statistically significant, the regimen consisting of a single dose of rifampin plus daily dapsone resulted in a lower percentage of biopsies found to contain viable M. leprae at each of the four sampling intervals.
将新生期胸腺切除的Lewis大鼠（NTLR）和先天性无胸腺（裸）大鼠系统检测接受短程化疗的瘤型麻风患者组织中少量活麻风分枝杆菌的能力，与常用的小鼠足垫试验进行了比较。15名先前未经治疗的瘤型患者被随机分配到两种治疗方案中，一种是单次初始剂量1500mg利福平加每日100mg氨苯砜，另一种是每周剂量900mg利福平加每日100mg氨苯砜。在治疗开始后长达一个月的时间里，依次从每位患者身上采集4次皮肤活检样本，作为麻风分枝杆菌接种物的来源。直接接种到小鼠足垫后，57份皮肤活检样本中只有2份（2%）被证明含有活的麻风分枝杆菌。然而，58份患者活检样本中有30份（52%）在直接接种到NTLR足垫或随后的小鼠传代后被证明含有活的麻风分枝杆菌。相比之下，裸大鼠被观察到是此类试验的较差监测者。虽然没有统计学意义，但在四个采样间隔中的每一个间隔，由单次剂量利福平加每日氨苯砜组成的治疗方案导致活检样本中发现含有活麻风分枝杆菌的百分比更低。
