To assess the bacteriological quality of unpooled expressed breast milk, a pilot bottle sample of each donation was examined before the milk was given to the neonate. Provided the milk did not contain greater than 2500 organisms/ml or potential pathogens it was used unheated. Milk containing between 2500 and 5000 organisms/ml and no potential pathogens was used after pasteurisation. Using these...

Skin smear bacteriological examination results of 11,255 paucibacillary leprosy patients from 8 leprosy control units under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) in South India and the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the Central Leprosy Teaching & Research Institute (CLT&RI), Chengalpattu, between 1987 and 1989 were collected and analysed. Only 0.05% of the smears from leprosy contro...

Quantitative inquiry into changes in the numbers of leprosy bacilli following the inoculation of suspensions of lepromatous tissue into a variety of special bacteriological media did not offer any suggestion of multiplication (1). A similar study of the bacilli in small cubes of nodule tissue incubated in or on bacteriological media, or in tissue culture solutions, also failed to reveal an incr...

Two cases are described in which extensive use was made of the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test. In the first case the advantages of using this technique to diagnose and control infection is shown; in the second the considerable advantage of the speed of the technique. In both of these cases the test made a material contribution to the management of the patient, and it is concluded that the tes...