Which of the following is true for multibacillary leprosy: September 2006

Ans. D: All of the above In classification based on skin smears, patients with negative smears at all sites are grouped as having paucibacillary (PB) leprosy, whereas those showing positive smears at any site are grouped as having multibacillary (MB) leprosy. Persons with more than 5 patches and involvement of more than 1 nerve trunk are also considered to have MB leprosy. The PB group includes TT and BT types, whereas the MB group includes BB, BL, and LL. Paucibacillary leprosy should be treated for 6 months with dapsone 100 mg/day unsupervised plus rifampin 600 mg/month supervised. Multibacillary leprosy should be treated for 12 months with dapsone 100 mg/day unsupervised, clofazimine 50 mg/day unsupervised, and rifampin 600 mg plus clofazimine 300 mg/month supervised.