Primary dapsone resistance in Cebu, The Philippines; cause for concern

• Published in: International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases Vol. 64; no. 3; p. 253
• Main Authors: dela Cruz, E, Cellona, R V, Balagon, M V, Villahermosa, L G, Fajardo, Jr, T T, Abalos, R M, Tan, E V, Walsh, G P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-09-1996
• Subjects: Animals; Dapsone - pharmacology; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; Leprostatic Agents - pharmacology; Leprosy - drug therapy; Leprosy - epidemiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Mycobacterium leprae - drug effects; Philippines - epidemiology; Prevalence; Philippines
• ISSN: 0148-916X

At a time when primary dapsone resistance was prevalent in many leprosy endemic areas, Cebu in The Philippines reported only 3.6% in the period 1975-1978 and later 8.1% in the period 1979-1982. In our current study of patients in the period 1988-1992, the number increased dramatically to 52.7%. In addition, 7.9% of the isolates are highly resistant to dapsone, a level of resistance not seen in earlier studies. This finding could have severe ramifications to the World Health Organization's multidrug therapy (WHO-MDT) mode of treatment, where dapsone is one of the principal drugs. Moreover, the increase in primary dapsone resistance may be a contributing factor in the recent finding that there has been no decline in the number of new cases found in Cebu, even after the implementation of WHO-MDT in 1985. There is a need for new drugs that could be included in the multidrug treatment for multibacillary and paucibacillary leprosy.