Table 4.
Percentage positivity (sensitivity) of laboratory tests performed on cases of leprosy in Japan, 1993–2020.
| (a) | Total | Multibacillary | P-value | Paucibacillary | P-value |
|
| |||||
| Polymerase chain reaction (positive: negative) (n = 141) | 112: 29 (79.4%) | 86: 11 (88.7%) | - | 26: 18 (59.1%) | - |
| AFB in slit-skin smear (positive: negative) (n = 211) | 129: 82 (61.1%) | 129: 21 (86.0%) | 0.5433 | 0: 61 (0%) | < 0.0001 |
| AFB in histopathology (positive: negative) (n = 230) | 154: 76 (67.0%) | 147: 15 (90.7%) | 0.5896 | 7: 61 (10.3%) | < 0.0001 |
| Anti-PGL-I antibody (n = 110) | 45: 65 (40.1%) | 41: 37 (52.6%) | <0.0001 | 4: 28 (12.5%) | < 0.0001 |
|
| |||||
| (b) Spectrum of leprosy | Polymerase chain reaction (positive: negative) (n = 141) | AFB in slit-skin smear (present: absent) (n = 211) | AFB in histopathology (present: absent) (n = 230) | Anti-PGL-I antibody (positive: negative) (n = 110) | |
|
| |||||
| Indeterminate | 3: 1 (75.0%) | 0: 5 (0%) | 0: 6 (0%) | 0: 4 (0%) | |
| Tuberculoid | 5: 3 (62.5%) | 0: 14 (0%) | 0: 13 (0%) | 0: 5 (0%) | |
| Borderline tuberculoid | 25: 16 (61.0%) | 14: 48 (22.6%) | 28: 46 (37.8%) | 5: 28 (15.2%) | |
| Borderline borderline | 6: 0 (100%) | 10: 3 (76.9%) | 13: 2 (86.7%) | 0: 2 (0%) | |
| Borderline lepromatous | 42: 7 (85.7%) | 62: 8 (88.6%) | 66: 6 (91.7%) | 22: 18 (55.0%) | |
| Lepromatous | 31: 1 (96.9%) | 43: 2 (95.6%) | 47: 2 (95.2%) | 18: 7 (72.0%) | |
| Pure neuritic leprosy | 0: 1 (0%) | 0: 2 (0%) | 0: 1 (0%) | 0: 1 (0%) | |
AFB, acid-fast bacilli; PGL-I, phenolic glycolipid-I.