Adenosine triphosphate content of Mycobacterium leprae from leprosy patients

Mycobacterium leprae obtained from randomly selected lepromatous leprosy patients were used to evaluate the ATP assay technique for detecting viability of these cells. The findings were further confirmed by the standard mouse foot pad technique. While the latter takes about 8-12 months to obtain any valid information on the status of M. leprae, the ATP data can be generated within hours and at much lower cost. It is hoped that the ATP data could also instantaneously identify viable bacilli from patients taking dapsone and thereby identify dapsone-resistant patients so that alternative treatment could be given. The advantages of this method over other currently available methods are discussed.