Global Research Trends in Rifampicin Chemoprophylaxis for Leprosy: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstrak

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global scientific publications on rifampicin chemoprophylaxis for leprosy from 1979 to 2025.This review aimed to analyze publication trends, identify key authors and institutions, and examine research topics related to rifampicin chemoprophylaxis for leprosy. Data were collected from the Scopus database using the keywords “rifampicin,” “chemoprophylaxis,” and “leprosy,” resulting in 142 relevant articles. VOSviewer software was employed to perform co-authorship, institutional, country, and keyword co-occurrence analyses. The results showed a steady increase in publications, particularly after 2018, with India, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Indonesia leading in output. Leprosy Review was the most prolific journal, and Richardus J.H. the most productive author. Keyword clustering revealed five major research themes including post-exposure prophylaxis strategies, drug efficacy and resistance, Mycobacterium leprae biology, contact tracing interventions, and global policy frameworks. The analysis highlights the central role of single-dose rifampicin (SDR) and emerging enhanced regimens such as PEP++ in leprosy control efforts. These findings provide critical insights for future research directions, policy development, and the operational scaling of chemoprophylaxis programs in endemic settings.

Kata kunci

• Chemoprophylaxis
• Rifampicin
• leprosy