A Case of Multibacillary Borderline Lepromatous Leprosy in the United States Treated With Alternative Therapy

TL;DR

An 80-year-old man in the U.S. was diagnosed with leprosy and treated with an alternative drug regimen, showing improvement.

Contribution

This case presents an alternative treatment regimen for multibacillary leprosy in the U.S.

Findings

The patient showed a reduction in rash after one month of treatment with moxifloxacin, rifabutin, and minocycline.

The case highlights the rising incidence of leprosy in the southeastern United States.

Alternative therapies may be effective for complex leprosy treatment decisions.

Abstract

Hansen’s disease (leprosy) is a rare infectious disease with less than 300 recorded cases in the United States every year. In this report, we present an 80-year-old White male with a three-year history of slowly progressive, pink, well-demarcated, and annular patches, plaques, and papules that started on his thighs and spread to his abdomen, chest, back, and upper extremities. After sequence identification on biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of leprosy, the patient was treated with an alternative regimen of monthly moxifloxacin, rifabutin, and minocycline. After a month of treatment, the patient reported a reduction in his rash. This report highlights a case of multibacillary leprosy in the southeastern United States. It is a very interesting study as the selection of this patient’s treatment was complex, and he ultimately received an alternative therapeutic regimen. This case also highlights the rising incidence of leprosy in this region of the United States and stresses the importance of monitoring for warning signs indicative of this diagnosis to facilitate early treatment and attenuation of this disease.

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