The relationship between surface temperature and dermal invasion in lepromatous leprosy.

In the study of lepromatous leprosy one finds convincing evidence that a heavier dermal infiltrate occurs in cooler areas of the body than in regions closer to core body temperature (5, 4, 3, 1, 6, 8, 7, 2, 11). This factor has made the course of untreated disease easier to understand and to some extent, predictable. Hastings et al (9) reported that even regional temperature differences noted in the cooler lateral back versus the warmer midline influenced bacterial invasion. Warmer areas, such as the scalp, groin, and anus, have been labeled "immune" because they fail to demonstrate clinical involvement in the Ncgro, Caucasian and Spanish populations. The purpose of this study was to determine if such "immune" areas are indeed involved though perhaps to a lesser extent than cooler areas.