Importance of the Carville-style bacteriologic examination in the recognition of inapparent diffuse lepromatous leprosy

The authors stress the importance of the Crville type of bacteriologic examination for the diagnosis of the diffuse cases of lepromatous leprosy, difficult to interpret. This method consists of a systematic and symmetric search for bacilli in certain parts - forehead, earlobes, cheeks, chin, arms, forearms, elbows, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, kness and legs - with or without lesions. In several hundreds of lepromatous patients there were found 17 cases of the inapparent diffuse lepromatous form which were verified bu this kind of examination in spite of the absence of typical cutaneous lesions.