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Mycobacterium lepromatosis Infections in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

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Stewart Cole, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Philippe Busso, Pushpendra Singh
2015

Abstract

The frequency of infection caused by the recently described pathogen Mycobacterium lepromatosis is unknown. Here, we describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, and therapeutic outcomes of five lepromatous leprosy patients suffering from M. lepromatosis infection in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Diagnosis was facilitated by a new highly specific PCR procedure.

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https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/9fa1bbd7-72fc-4fce-ab98-c987ccbdc3ad

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Related concepts (7)

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or infection through unnoticed wounds. An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight.

Mycobacterium leprae

Mycobacterium leprae (also known as the leprosy bacillus or Hansen's bacillus) is one of the two species of bacteria that cause Hansen’s disease (leprosy), a chronic but curable infectious disease that damages the peripheral nerves and targets the skin, eyes, nose, and muscles. It is an acid-fast, Gram-positive, rod shaped bacterium and an obligate intracellular parasite, which means, unlike its relative Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it cannot be grown in cell-free laboratory media.

Mycobacterium is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and leprosy (M. leprae) in humans. The Greek prefix myco- means 'fungus', alluding to this genus' mold-like colony surfaces. Since this genus has cell walls with a waxy lipid-rich outer layer that contains high concentrations of mycolic acid, acid-fast staining is used to emphasize their resistance to acids, compared to other cell types.

Related publications (27)

Development and validation of a multiplex real-time qPCR assay using GMP-grade reagents for leprosy diagnosis

Stewart Cole, Charlotte Avanzi, Thyago Leal Calvo

Author summaryLeprosy is a chronic dermato-neurological disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an obligate intracellular bacterium. Diagnosis of leprosy often relies on skin examinations for clinical signs, bacilli staining from skin smears and invasive s ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2022

Mycobacterium leprae diversity and population dynamics in medieval Europe from novel ancient genomes

Stewart Cole, Charlotte Avanzi, Philippe Busso

Background Hansen's disease (leprosy), widespread in medieval Europe, is today mainly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions with around 200,000 new cases reported annually. Despite its long history and appearance in historical records, its origins ...

BMC2021

A new paradigm for leprosy diagnosis based on host gene expression

Stewart Cole, Andrej Benjak, Charlotte Avanzi, Philippe Busso, Thyago Leal Calvo

Author summary ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2021