In 1958, Binford claimed the successful transmission of M. leprae into the hamster. This work has since been confirmed by Convit et al, Waters et al and Burcart et al.
Therefore, we have investigated the multiplication of M leprae in the golden hamster food-pad using materials of the passages (isolated by ourselves) and a lepromatous patient (fresh strain). Futhermore, we have tested comparison of differences in the multiplication rate, sex in the hamster and the mouse, and the enhancing effect of cortisone in the hamster alone.
The inoculum was approximately ⁴ per each foot-pad, and the experimental methods were much the same as those reported for mice. Cortisone was given intramuscularly into each hind leg of the hamsters in the daily dosage of 7.0mg for every 6 days, at the first or at 17th day and 11th week after the inoculation.
First passage in the hamster (i.e. fresh strain to hamster and mouse passage to hamster inoculation): the material examined at 5-40 week after the inoculation with fresh strain and mouse passage showed the counts of acid-fast bacilli similar to those seen in the mouse foot-pad at late stadium, but the number of M leprae in the hamster was greater than that in the mouse at an early stage (approximately 20th week) after theinoculation.
Second passage (i.e. hamster to hamster and hamster to mouse inoculation): the material examined at 24th week after the transmission with the first passage in hamster showed the counts of acid-fast bacilli similar to those of the passage. An attempt to cultivate the bacilli in Ogawa's medium gives negative result. In the case of the inoculation with M lepraemurium into the hamster foot-pad, the sites of inoculation produced the nodular swelling with the inocula of different sizes growing to a swelling of between 7.5×10⁸ and 5.0×10⁵ bacilli per foot-pad. The details are shown in Table 3.
In addition, the number of M. leprae was occasionally greater in the male mouse than in the female, while it was less in the male hamster than in the female, the resultsbeing similar to those seen in thymectomized hamster and mouse, as reported elsewhere.
The number of M. leprae in the hamster foot-pad rose to a plateau level of approximately 10⁶ bacilli. Therefore, they showed that it was in fact possible under these conditions to produce a limited multiplication resembling those in the mouse foot-pads. On the other hand, the number of bacilli in the cortisone-administered hamster rose to a plateau level at an early stage after the inoculation, the fact also being similar to that of the mouse, as described elsewhere.

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The incipient signs of 247 leprosy patients were investigated in Miyako Nanseien Leprosarium. The results were shown as four tables and they are summarized as follows:
(1) There are few lepromatous cases and many non-lepromatous cases in comparison with leprosaria in the interior of Japan.
(2) The average age of patients is younger than leprosaria in the interior of Japan.
(3) The most cases were attacked with leprosy in teens, and next many cases were suffering from leprosy under ten years old.
(4) The most incipient sign was flat, hypesthetic and hypopigmentated patch, and there were only a few cases to be attacked with lepromatous lesions as incipient signs.
(5) The incipient signs attacked on face, lower limb, upper limb, buttock and trunk in order.

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Factors affecting elongation of Myc. lepraemurium in vitro were investigated by slide culture method, and the following results were obtained:
It was reconfirmed that the most important factor influencing elongation of the bacilli in vitro was acid (pH6.0) in the culture fluid. Bovine serum was the best stimulator of elongation and glycerine as well as sucrose also enhanced elongation of the bacilli. Among the substrates of the Krebs cycle tested, 1-malic stimulated the elongation phenomenon. Among the metabolic inhibitors employed, malonate only did not inhibit elongation of the bacilli. From these results obtained, it might be presumed that the Krebs cycle would be needed for the elongation phenomenon, but probably there were some other pathways beyond the original cycle. Inhibitions of elongation by antibiotics were the same as the results of animal experiments. Finally, the log phase of elongation of the bacilli were between three and six days after incubation.

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Charcot-like changes in leprosy patient are mostly observed on foot and ankle, but rarely on other joints.
It was clinically observed that of 38 cases, 3 cases had the destruction of the whole tarsal bones, 19 cases on ankle, 4 cases on subtalar joints, 8 cases on Chopart's joint and 4 cases on Lisfranc's joint.
Charcot-like changes of ankle may be caused by repeated sprain. Clinical finding shows swelling, lateral instability and pes varus deformity of ankle.
The sclerosis, deformity of the tarsal bones and loose bodies in ankle are roentogenologically noted.
Proliferating bone changes are rare and the arthicular surface of the tibia is not damaged.
In Chopart's and subtalar joints, the condition begins with warmness and swelling without any cause.
The stability of the foot is kept well, though roentogenogram shows the destruction of navicular bone and calcaneum.
In Lisfranc's joint, the destruction of cuboid bone, caused by sprain, occurs, but may result in only pes valgus and planus deformity and stability of foot is kept well.

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Comparative observations were made of the susceptibility of various inbred mouse strains (DDD, C3H, C57BL/6, BALB/C, CF#1, CFW, RR, A, NC, SS, KK and fm) to hind foot pad infection with leprosy bacilli (N-ANETa strain, originally isolated by Shepard) under the same dietary and environmental conditions.
There were no remarkable differences, such as observed in response to subcutaneous infection with murine leprosy bacilli, in the susceptibility among these strains. Pattyn examined the multiplication of leprosy bacilli in foot pads of 5 strains of mice, and reported that some differences appeared among the experimental animals, but he interpreted that these differences were due to small differences in the original inoculum size. This claim is generally accepted in our experiments. However significant but slight differences were verified by the following results.
1) Multiplication of acid fast bacilli in the foot pads was much slower in DDD mice than in the others.
2) In KK mice the multiplication of the bacilli occurred earlier and greater yields of the bacilli were harvested from the foot pads compared with the other mice.
3) Mice of the C57BL/6 strain showed earlier multiplication but lower yields of the bacilli than the others.

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らいに関する薬物療法の歴史を通覧するに,経験的方法論より次第に理論的アプローチを通じて,より科学的方法論をもって,その道の変遷をたどっている。かかる努力が近代的つ輝かしい標準的な薬物治療の発見を促し,らい治療の分野に相当の見るべき治療効果をあげつつある。しかし一面,薬物の副作用,最適量,薬剤耐性の臨床的意義,重度難治らいの諸問題などは,いまだ充分に解決されたとは言いがたい。これらの諸問題を解決するため,薬物のよりよい併用療法の研究はもちろんであるが,さらに強力な新薬の発見に不断の努力がなされている。
1957年日本の浅野らにより新しく合成され堤らによりらい化学療法に導入されたMHQは該新物質の化学的性状,生物学的毒性試験,抗菌スペクトルらにおいて,優れた特性を有し,ことに抗酸菌中,結核菌に対しては,低濃度において完全にその発育を阻止すると報告されている。それだけに,これを軟膏として外用使用することにより,らいが皮膚に好発するだけその効果が速効直達的であるであろうことが想像される。
著者は,日本におけるらい臨床医の数種の治療効果の報告を綜合して,相当の効果を期待できうると思われ,かつこれらの報告に勇気づけられたので,著者が日本国厚生省より,コロンボ計画に基づき,医療協力のためカンボジア国に1力年半にわたり派遺されたのを機会にして,同国唯一の国立らい療養所において,MHQ軟膏の単独療法を6ヵ月間試みた。
臨床実験に選ばれた患者は10名で1名はT型(case 1)で,他はすべてL型患者であり,全例この疾病に関して長い病歴を有し,過去において,ズルホン剤を投与されていた者ばかりであったが,1例(case 10)を除き,実験終了後,特に認むべき副作用もなく,好成績をあげ得ることが出来た。
飜って,Etisulは,いむべき悪臭があり,これを日本のらい患者に使用した場合,70～80%の皮膚炎を惹起する難点があったが,MHQにいたっては,かかる好ましからざる臭気もなく,ほとんど全例においてかかる副作用はなく,患者らは常夏の国で裸体に近く,外用薬とし,衣服を汚染することも少なく,患者達はMHQは,優れた薬剤だといっていた。
本実験においては,例症が少なく,これが長期間,治らい剤としての資格を獲得するには,さらに例症を積みかさねる必要があるものの,らい治療外用薬として,らい治療界に新しいしかも従来よりも病巣に対し,直達的にも効果をおよぼすという形の変った薬剤を追加したことは注目に値する。

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