Chemotherapy of murine leprosy. VII. The effect of cycloserine (seromycin) on mouse leprosy.

Cycloserine (Seromycin) has been reported to have definite antituberculosis activity in human infection (6, 7, 8, 11, 12), but no effect in the experimental tuberculosis of mice (5, 13). In experimental tuberculosis of guinea-pigs, the antibiotic was also found inactive by two groups of investigators (9, 13), although later some histological improvement was reported by one of these groups (10). For a better understanding of the variations in the activity of cycloserine in different hosts, studies on experimental mycobacterial infections other than tuberculosis seem desirable. Probably, also, an infection can be found that is more closely correlated with human tuberculosis in respect to the action of this antibiotic than is tuberculosis in the mouse or guinea-pig. Since murine leprosy has been found to be a useful tool in studies of the anti mycobacterial activity of various compounds (2, 3, 4), the effect of cycloserine was studied in this disease.3