Which one of the following antimicrobial drugs is suitable for treatment of both tuberculosis and leprosy ?

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Q: 122 (IAS/1995)
Which one of the following antimicrobial drugs is suitable for treatment of both tuberculosis and leprosy ?

question_subject: 

Science

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,30,76,19,16,41,30

keywords: 

{'following antimicrobial drugs': [0, 1, 0, 0], 'streptomycin': [1, 0, 0, 0], 'leprosy': [0, 1, 0, 1], 'tuberculosis': [1, 0, 0, 0], 'aminosalicylic acid': [0, 1, 0, 0], 'rifampicin': [0, 1, 0, 0], 'treatment': [7, 1, 6, 5]}

Option 1, Isoniazid, is primarily used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Option 2, p-aminosalicylic acid, it is generally used along with other medications to treat tuberculosis, but has no role in the treatment of leprosy.

Option 3, Streptomycin, is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used for a variety of infections, including tuberculosis, but it isn`t recommended for leprosy.

Option 4, Rifampicin, is the correct answer. It is a powerful antibiotic used in the treatment of both tuberculosis and leprosy. Rifampicin acts by preventing the bacteria from producing essential proteins, which subsequently prevents their multiplication.

Therefore, both tuberculosis and leprosy can be treated by Rifampicin, making it the excellent answer for this question.