Original Articles 2012-02-20

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This study was done to determine the use of herbal medicines and Traditional Medicine Formulations (TMFs) for treating hypertension at Outpatients' Department (OPD) of Traditional Medicine Hospital, Yangon. This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive study in 140 hypertensive patients attending th

Original Articles 2020-09-11

Is Community Intervention Effective for Improving Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care in Hard-to-Reach Areas of Chin State, Myanmar?

To tackle the maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) care needs is a challenging situation in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Intervention activities focusing on strengthening community health care network through community participation and supporting Basic Health Staffs for MNCH ser

Original Articles 2020-09-14

Incidence of Snakebite in Four Townships of Yangon Region

The true incidence of snakebite in Myanmar is unknown. The current data are based on hospital returns to Ministry of Health and Sports and they are likely to be under-reported. A community-based survey is useful to know the current burden of snakebite and thus for planning and formulating str

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Aims of MHSR Journal

• To serve as an important medium for the publication of original research in the field of medical science and health research, thus filling gaps in health knowledge for effective utilization of research findings
• To impart current medical knowledge and updated scientific information obtained from research to health professionals for better and appropriate health care management
• To disseminate recent basic, applied and social research findings among health personnel of different strata for enhancing worldwide health development

Archives   2005

Myanmar   Health   Sciences   Research   Journal

Volume   17,  Number   1

TITLE:   Detection of mycobacterium leprae by the polymerace chain reaction (PCR) in nasal swabs of leprosy patients and their contacts.
AUTHOR:   Khin Saw Aye; Yin Thet Nu Oo; Kyaw Kyaw
SOURCE:   Myanmar Health Sciences Research Journal. 2005; 17(1): 1-5
ABSTRACT:   In the light of current leprosy control strategies, non-invasive samples such as nasal swabs may be more important than skin slit specimens as a source of material for epidemiological study. The objective of this research project was to investigate the use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect M. leprae in samples of nasal mucous from leprosy patients and asymptomatic household contacts of those patients. Nasal swabs from 15 paucibacillary (PB) and 55 multibacillary (MB) patients attending the Central Special Skin Center, Yangon General Hospital and 137 of their household contacts were tested for the presence of M .leprae by PCR and 33% of the samples of both patients and contacts were found to contain M. leprae. One of 32 (3.1%) swabs and 21 of 105 (20%) swabs were positive for M. leprae among contacts of PB and MB patients respectively (p<0.05). Among the patients, PCR positivity for nasal swab was 3 out of 15 (20%) in PB patients and 45 out of 55 (8 1.82%) in MB patients (p<0.001). Therefore, total 48 out of 70 (68.57%) in clinically diagnosed patients was PCR positive. PCR positivity of MB is significantly higher than PB in both patients and contacts. Although nasal carriage does not necessarily imply infection or excretion of bacilli, the finding of nasal carriage supports the theory of a disseminated occurrence of M. leprae in populations for which leprosy is endemic. This study is part of the molecular epidemiological study of leprosy in Myanmar.
SUBJECT HEADINGS:   Mycobacterium leprae. Polymerase Chain Reaction. Leprosy.
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