The Kveim test in lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy

Kveim tests using a validated material have been undertaken in Malaysia on 39 patients (32 Chinese; 4 Malay and 3 Aboriginal) with lepromatous or tuberculoid leprosy. All the patients had been treated for leprosy, most for two or more years. The tests were read microscopically. Of the 21 lepromatous patients one gave a weak positive and two an equivocal Kveim test whereas four of the nine tuberculoid patients gave equivocal or weak Kveim positivity. Only the tuberculoid form elicits a higher proportion of granulomas than might be expected in a comparable normal population. Of nine patients (8 lepromatous; 1 tuberculoid ) who failed to sensitize well to tuberculin
following two BCG vaccinations, two gave equivocal Kveim tests similar in appearance to those in the other groups.