en Microbiology and Anatomy Microbiology and Anatomy Original Research: Basic Science in Medicine Original Research: Basic Science in Medicine As part of a series of investigations at Baba Baghi Leprosarium in lran, 44 long-treated leprosy patients were selected for our study. Samples of early morning sputum were obtained from each patient, examined by microscopy for acid-fast bacilli (AFB), and cultured for tubercle bacilli. These tests were negative, but the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for an insertion sequence believed to be specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was applied to each sputum sample and those from six patients were found to be positive. Five of the six positive samples were from the 21 patients producing Koch-type responses to tuberculin, and none were from the 11 patients previously found to have skin-tissue fluid or sputum positive by PCR for Mycobacterium leprae. Whereas immunotherapy with killed Mycobacterium vaccae given nearly 2 years earlier to 23 of the patients strongly influenced PCR results for M. leprae (p= 0.0 I), it had no influence on results fm' tubercle bacilli. However, at a second sampling date 18 months later, the only 2 patients still positive by PCR for tubercle bacilli came from the placebo recipient group. The possible significance of the findings is discussed. 43 47 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-400&slc_lang=en&sid=1 A RAFI 20031947532846005244 20031947532846005244 Yes From the Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz A AHMADlAN 20031947532846005245 20031947532846005245 No From the Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz MH MOBAYEN 20031947532846005246 20031947532846005246 No The •Baba Baghi Leprosy Hospital Tabriz F FEVAL 20031947532846005247 20031947532846005247 No The •Baba Baghi Leprosy Hospital Tabriz Y DOWLATI 20031947532846005248 20031947532846005248 No the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran K GHAZI SAIDI 20031947532846005249 20031947532846005249 No the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran AA VELAYATI 20031947532846005250 20031947532846005250 No the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran JL STANFORD 20031947532846005251 20031947532846005251 No the, Department of Bacteriology, University ColIege London Medical School, 67-73 Riding House Street, London WIP7LD, UK