The incubation time of relapses after treatment of multibacillary leprosy with rifampicin containing regimens.

In order to determine the duration of follow-up needed to evaluate the efficacy of short-course bactericidal regimens for multibacillary leprosy, information is needed on the incubation time of relapses after stopping treatment. Several groups of patients, who had been on rifampicin-containing regimens, were followed up for periods ranging from 4 to 10 years. Two groups of relapses were observed: early relapses occurring within 3.5 years after stopping treatment, with a median incubation time of 1 year and 10 months (upper limit of 95% confidence interval: 2 years); and late relapses occurring more than 3.5 years after stopping treatment, with a median incubation of 5 years. Early relapses are probably due to insufficient treatment, and late relapses to persisting bacilli or to reinfection. It is concluded that the efficacy of short-course RMP-containing therapeutic regimens can be evaluated by observing the occurrence of early relapses, 50% of which occur before 2 years after the end of therapy.