Molecular methods for distinguishing between relapse and reinfection in leprosy

摘要

Dear Sirs,We read with interest the article by Linder et al. on "Relapses versus reactions in multibacillary leprosy: proposal of new relapse criteria", published in the March 2008 issue of Tropical Medicine and International Health (Linder et al. 2008). The authors describe an important issue in leprosy case management, namely the distinction between reactions and relapses in leprosy patients who received previous treatment. As these require radically different treatment, it is indeed important to make this distinction and a set of criteria, in combination with expert clinical assessment, may contribute to this.