A study of continuous bacillaemia in borderline and lepromatous type of leprosy.

The present work has established beyond doubt that bacillaemia occurs practically in all cases of borderline and lepromatous leprosy. The number of bacilli in the blood is significantly high, to the tune of 4,000 bacilli per ml. Even so, it does not produce any adverse symptoms of septicaemia. Special emphasis was laid in the present study for determining the continuity or otherwise of bacillaemia. Some of the patients had continuous bacillaemia according to the criteria fixed in the present study. It was also found that the number of bacilli discharged into the blood bears no relationship with the bacillary load in the body as assessed by skin and nasal smears.