Ganapati R, Chulawala R G
Lepr India. 1976 Jan;48(1):42-7.
Evidence of bacillaemia through examination of heparinised blood smears was obtained in 17 of the 20 cases (85%) of untreated leprosy cases belonging to the spectrum ranging from BT to LL. Among 17 cases whose blood smears were positive for AFB, the endothelial cells of blood vessels in skin lesions showed AFB in 11 instances (64.7%) and in 7 (41.2%) of these cases biopsies obtained from apparently normal skin also showed bacilli in the blood vessels. The fact that blood smears may show AFB even in patients belonging to types classifiable as BT-BB in the Ridley Jopling scale (a child aged 3 1/2 years showed this feature) emphasises the importance of investigations to assess thoroughly the extent of bacillation in leprosy patients.
在20例未经治疗的、属于从BT到LL谱系的麻风病例中，通过检查肝素化血涂片获得菌血症证据的有17例（85%）。在17例血涂片抗酸杆菌阳性的病例中，皮肤病变血管的内皮细胞有11例（64.7%）显示有抗酸杆菌，其中7例（41.2%）从外观正常皮肤获取的活检组织的血管中也显示有杆菌。即使在里德利-乔普林分类法中可归类为BT-BB型的患者（一名3岁半的儿童有此特征）的血涂片中也可能显示抗酸杆菌，这一事实强调了进行调查以全面评估麻风患者菌量程度的重要性。
