The influence of cortisone and hydrocortisone acetates on the course of Mycobacterium lepraemurium infection in rats.

Prolonged administration of cortisone acetate or hydrocortisone acetate produces a decrease in the rate of growth of treated rats. In this respect the effect of the latter steroid is the more pronounced. Lepromata in the steroid treated animals are significantly smaller than those in the control rats. This difference is more pronounced with the cortisone acetate treatment. However, whilst there is no appreciable difference in the distribution of organisms in the lepromata, the spread of infection is not increased by the steroid treatment, as the number of animals showing acid fast organisms in the spleen is no greater in the treated groups than in the controls.