Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 August 2014
Taste thresholds for phenylthiourea were measured among 58 Caucasoid subjects affected with both tuberculosis and leprosy. The frequency of non-tasters among them (12.1%) is significantly lower than that found among healthy controls (24.7%) but not different from the frequency of non-tasters among tuberculous patients (14.1%) or leprous patients (19.6%). These results suggest a correlation between taste ability to phenylthiourea and the constitutional susceptibility to tuberculosis and leprosy.
This work has been supported by grants from the World Health Organization and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo.