Nishimura and associates have reported that not only healthy mice but also non-leprous human skin are considerably contaminated with acid-fast bacillus, but as yet, there has been little information on such findings. Nishimura's observations have caused a non-neglectable problem in the conduction of experiments in which experimental animals are inoculated with leprosy or murine leprosy bacillus; and also in bacteriological examination of leprosy patients. Further investigations seemed justified and this study was undertaken to evaluate whether, and to what extent, healthy mouse could be infected with acid-fast bacillus.
Four groups of mice were used. Group A consisted of 21 CF#1 mice born and raised in an animal room used for mycobacterial-infected animals; Group B of 58 CF#1 mice born and allowed to remain, until the date of autopsy, with mice infected with murine leprosy; Group C of 25 dd-hybrid mice obtained from an unspecified source; and Group D of 46 CF#1 mice bred at random and raised under careful control in a room unrelated to mycobacterial-infected animals. For examination of acid-fast bacillus, foot-pad, dorsal skin, lung, liver, spleen and kidney were selected. These tissues were minced and ground with 2ml of a 1 per cent sodium hydroxide solution. The tissue suspension was transferred to a small test tube and left to stand for 30 minutes to allow settling of the heavy tissue elements. Oneml of the supernatant was decanted into a centrifuge tube, shaken with 0.1 ml of chloroform for 3 minutes, and centrifuged at 1, 000×g for 10 minutes. The chloroform button was placed on a spot-plate and stamped on a slide glass with a small glass rod. The slide was stained by carbol-fuchsin and Toda's solution. For each specimen, 200 oil-immersion fields were carefully examined for acid-fast bacillus.
As shown in the Table 1, acid-fast bacilli were detected in one of 21 mice in Group A, 9 of 58 in Group B, and none in Group C and D. Abundant bacilli were found in only one mouse in Group B. These results are not in agreement with Nishimura's reports. On the basis of our observation, it seems unlikely that acid-fast bacillus would be found so frequently in normal mice.

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The effect of anti-tubercular agents Ethambutol (d-2, 2'-(ethylene diimino)-di-1-butanol 2Hl; Ebutol, Kaken) and Capreomycin sulfate (Capastat, Shionogi) on the development of murine leprosy was investigated.
Method: A total of 100 female mice (ddO) were inoculated subcutaneously with a suspension of Hawaiian strain, and Ethambutol(10mg, oral) or Capreomycin sulfate (0.5mg, intramuscular) given by the 6 days per week method. The control was left untreated or give INH, or Streptomycin. The inhibitory effect was evaluated by both of the Nishimura-Iwasa's method and the observation of spread tissue specimens from the subcutaneous connective tissue where the bacilli had been inoculated, at weekly intervals up to 5 weeks after the inoculation.
Results: Both examination methods showed that Ethambutol and Capreomycin sulfate not suppressed murine leprosy. The spread tissue method gave highly accurate results and were well coincident with the results by the Nishimura-Iwasa's method suggesting that this is a useful method for screening using murine leprosy.

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A new sub-type of Mycobacterium leprae was found in our laboratory, and its characteristic is described.
The detailed characteristics were obtained as follows: Gram positive. Acid-fast staining positive. Kirchner, Dubos and Ogawa medium: No growth. Glycerol agar containing heat-killed Mycobacterium phlei: No growth. Rods in tissues of the mouse foot-pad: Average 3 to 5 microns in length, over 5 micron long are ocassionally seen. The bacilli were often formed rounded clump (globi). These findings did not changed until the 6 times passage in the mouse foot-pad.
Souce: Found in lepromatous (nodular) case of leprosy in Japan.
This is confirmed as Mycobacterium leprae: Bacteriological identification depends on; (a) acid-fast staining positive, (b) failure of the organism to multiply in bacteriological media, (c) positive of a limited multiplication in the mouse foot-pad (d) the heat-killed cells produce lepromin reactions in guinea pig, as described elsewhere.^1-2)
Distinctive characters: The length of this organism is longer than that of the other strains of M. leprae
This organism is closely related to Mycobacterium leprae, but differs from morphological size, so that Mycobacterium leprae sub-type (Urashima strain) is proposed.

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The inhibitory effect of DDS upon the multiplication of M. leprae was tested in the mouse foot-pads.
Multiplication of the so-called resistant strains (Fuji, Urashima) were suppressed completely by DDS in the higher dosages containing 0.5mg in the diet of one gram. However, even the sensitive strain (no growth in 0.1mg) was not suppressed completely in case of DDS-administration which was given from the time of 3 months after inoculation.
On the other hand, DDS-administration to the moderately resistant strain in the mouse foot-pad (growth in 0.1mg) was continued in a period of about 17 months, but it resulted that the growth of the bacilli was not completely suppressed.

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Shepard (1960) claimed the successful transmission of M leprae into the mouse footpad. In particular, this work has been confirmed by ourselves in Japan, even the use of Japanese mice and lepromas of Japanese patients.
Limited multiplications of M leprae were observed too in the mice foot-pads inoculated with five passage strains which were isolated by Shepard, but could not be observed in mouse inoculated with the emulsion of leproma, Ph-strain which was administered in Philippine, because it may be caused that the acillary number of M leprae was only 10³ per one mouse, in spite of the loss of bacillary viability in the emulsion of leproma.
Comparison of the passages isolated by Shepard with the authors isolates (Suzuki strain etc.) did not show significant differences in the multiplication rate or in the total amount of bacilli obtainable.
It may be concluded that the passages isolated by Shepard were identified as M . leprae as the isolates by ourselves.

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All the mice were previously vaccinated with the isolated M. leprae through subctuaneous and intravenous route, and, one to two months after the challenge the same or heterogenous strains were given to these mice.
It was observed that any inhibition of the growth of M. leprae in these mice foot-pads and also the suckling mice obtained from the infected mice did not show any feature of inhibition of M. leprae in the foot-pad.

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Observing the leprosy patients, there were noted a good number of patients with a peculiar eroded, macerated changes in the interdigital spaces of their hands. The condition was tentatively named as Erosio interdigitalis. In an attempt to clarify the resson as well as cause of occurrence of such a condition, a clinical statistical observation and a clinical bacteriological study have been carried out, and it was found that the condition was very much the same with the Erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica condition noted in general in dividuals. The results obtained in the studies were as follows.
1. 430 leprosy patients (250 male, and 180 female) were clinically observed in summer giving the following results:
1) The occurrence incidence of the condition was 21.2% (91 positive cases among the 430 leprosy patients investigated).
2) As to sex, it was noted that the occurrence incidence in male was 14.8% (37 positive among 250), while in female it was 30% (54 positive among 180), the incidence being significantly higher in female.
3) As to age, it was noted that the occurrence incidence increased with age up to the sixth decade, and thereafter showed significant decrease. The incidence in the sixth decade was in male 22.4% (13 positive among 58) and in female 50% (17 positive among 34).
4) As to hand, there was no significant difference noted between the occurrence incidence of the condition in the right hand and in the left hand.
5) As to site of predilection, the condition was noted to occur the most frequently in the 3rd interdigital space, and then in the order of the 2nd interdigital space, the flexural aspects of the finger joints, the 4th interdigital space, and the least frequent in the 1st interdigital space. The number of hands in which the 3rd interdigital space was affected with the condition were 28 among the 47 positive hands (59.6%) in male, and 62 among the 79 positive hand (78.9%) in female.
6) As to the relationship between the occurrence incidence of the condition and the grade of deformity of the hand and fingers, it was noted that the occurrence incidence was the more higher the greater the grade of deformity of the hand and fingers was. However, when the deformity was so severe as to become mutilated, the occurrence incidence was noted to significantly decrease. The degree of severeness of the condition showed similar 247 248 1968 trend with the grade of deformity of the hand and fingers, however, it was not significant.
7) As to the relationship between the occurrence incidence of the condition and the type of leprosy, there was no noticeable significant difference between the occurrence incidence of both the types, the lepromatous and the tuberculoid leprosy.
2. Further the occurrence incidence of the condition was investigated in winter among 292 leprosy patients (183 male, and 109 female), and it was noted that 10.6% had the condition. In male it was 6.6%, and in female it was 17.4%. They were all found to be significantly lower than the occurrence incidence of the condition investigated in summer respectively.
3. Clinical bacteriological study was made with 22 patients (26 sites) as subjects, and the followings were revealed: Candida albicans were detected in 84.6% (22 sites positive among the 26 sites), among which 77.3% (17 sites among the 22 sites) were found to be mix-infected with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Taking the above-mentioned results into consideration, the pathogensis of erosio interdigitalis in leprosy patients was assumed to be as follows: In leprosy patients, due to deformity of the hand and fingers, the interdigital spaces as well as the flexor aspects of the finger joints stick closely together, and then, because of uncleanliness and undryness, they may be infected with Candida albicans or mix-infected with Candida and Staphylococcus aureus or other pathogenic microbes,

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Skin diseases in leprosy patients were investigated in summer with 479 in-patients of the Tohoku Shin-sei-en as subjects, and the following results have been obtained.
1. Dermatomycosis were noted in 104 among the 479 leprosy patients investigated (21.7%). They consisted of 89 cases of erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica, 10 cases of trichophytia pompholyciformis, 3 cases of trichophytia eczematosa, and a case of pityriasis versicolor and a case of blastomycetica cutis. On the other hand, pyodermic condition was noted only in 1 leprosy patient (furuncle).
2. Eczematous conditions were noted in 40 among the 479 leprosy patients (8.4%). They consisted of 12 cases of eczema sudamen, 9 cases of scratch eczema, 8 cases of bacterial eczema, 6 cases of circumscribed neurodermitis, 3 cases of seborrheic dermatitis, and a case of solar dermatitis and a case of alkalic eczema. Not a single case of contact eczema was noted.
3. 5 cases of ariboflavinosis were the only avitaminosis condition noted, and there were only 2 cases of keloidal scar noticeable.

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Undecenoic acid substance was clinically used in 81 cases of erosio interidigitalis noted in leprosy patients, and was concluded to be a useful drug in treating such a condition giving the following result: excellent results in 42 cases (51.8%), fair in 38 cases (46.9%), and no effect in 1 case (1.2%).

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