Download Mycobacterium leprae

Mycobacterium leprae







Causative agent of leprosy (aka
Hansen’s disease)
Has a single circular chromosome
Acid fast, Gram-positive rod
Approx. 2 million people around
the world have been left
permanently disabled as a result
of this disease
However, according to the CDC,
almost 95% of adults may be
naturally unable to contract
leprosy even if they come into
contact with the bacteria.
There are about 100 cases
diagnosed annually in the US
Two types:



Tuberculoid
Lepromatous
Sores are a symptom of both, but
the lepromatous form is more
severe and causes larger lumps
and bumps
http://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/images/hansens.jpg
Skin lesions from leprosy
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2
/Leprosy_thigh_demarcated_cutaneous_lesions.jpg/800pxLeprosy_thigh_demarcated_cutaneous_lesions.jpg
K. Carter F2013
Modified by DYH
Mycobacterium leprae







Symptoms include: skin lesions,
muscle weakness, and numbness
Diagnosis is by doing a biopsy of the
skin lesions
A lepromin skin test can be done to
distinguish between the two types
Treatment generally includes a
cocktail of antibiotics (because there
are some resistant strains) as well as
anti-inflammatory medications
Diagnosing the disease early is
important in that it can limit the
spread of the disease and because it
minimizes serious complications. The
problem with this is that the disease
has a long incubation period
Cannot be cultured in vitro
There is surprisingly little known about
the mechanism of infection, although
it may involve interaction with the
cytokine or tyrosine signaling
pathways, which are involved in
cellular proliferation.
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 2, 569-586
K. Carter F2013
Modified by DYH