Studies from few centers have indicated that in the diagnosis of leprosy, detection of more acid-fast bacilli (AFB) is made using fluorescent microscopy vs modified Fite-Faraco staining; however, this is sparsely documented. In this work, the sensitivity of fluorescent microscopy and modified Fite-Faraco stain in the detection of Mycobacterium leprae in tissue sections has been studied.

• Forty patients diagnosed with leprosy using histopathology were recruited.

• Staining of tissue sections was done by fluorescent stain and modified Fite-Faraco stain and calculation of bacillary index for each case was performed.

• Findings suggest greater sensitivity of fluorescent staining than modified Fite-Faraco staining in the detection of AFB in tissue sections.

• The fluorescent staining led to detection of more bacilli per field compared with the modified Fite-Faraco method.