This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Scollard, D. M.
Right arrow Articles by Williams, D. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Scollard, D. M.
Right arrow Articles by Williams, D. L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical Microbiology Reviews, April 2006, p. 338-381, Vol. 19, No. 2
0893-8512/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CMR.19.2.338-381.2006

The Continuing Challenges of Leprosy

D. M. Scollard,* L. B. Adams, T. P. Gillis, J. L. Krahenbuhl, R. W. Truman, and D. L. Williams

Laboratory Research Branch, National Hansen's Disease Programs, Louisiana State University-SVM, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803

Leprosy is best understood as two conjoined diseases. The first is a chronic mycobacterial infection that elicits an extraordinary range of cellular immune responses in humans. The second is a peripheral neuropathy that is initiated by the infection and the accompanying immunological events. The infection is curable but not preventable, and leprosy remains a major global health problem, especially in the developing world, publicity to the contrary notwithstanding. Mycobacterium leprae remains noncultivable, and for over a century leprosy has presented major challenges in the fields of microbiology, pathology, immunology, and genetics; it continues to do so today. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of M. leprae and the host response to it, especially concerning molecular identification of M. leprae, knowledge of its genome, transcriptome, and proteome, its mechanisms of microbial resistance, and recognition of strains by variable-number tandem repeat analysis. Advances in experimental models include studies in gene knockout mice and the development of molecular techniques to explore the armadillo model. In clinical studies, notable progress has been made concerning the immunology and immunopathology of leprosy, the genetics of human resistance, mechanisms of nerve injury, and chemotherapy. In nearly all of these areas, however, leprosy remains poorly understood compared to other major bacterial diseases.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory Research Branch, National Hansen's Disease Programs, LSU-SVM, Skip Bertman Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Phone: (225) 578-9841. Fax: (225) 578-9856. E-mail: dscoll1{at}lsu.edu.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews, April 2006, p. 338-381, Vol. 19, No. 2
0893-8512/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CMR.19.2.338-381.2006




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Elias, J. Jr, Nogueira-Barbosa, M. H., Feltrin, L. T., Furini, R. B., Foss, N. T., Marques, W. Jr, dos Santos, A. C. (2009). Role of Ulnar Nerve Sonography in Leprosy Neuropathy With Electrophysiologic Correlation. J Ultrasound Med 28: 1201-1209 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lini, N., Shankernarayan, N. P., Dharmalingam, K. (2009). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of Mycobacterium leprae DNA and mRNA in human biopsy material from leprosy and reactional cases. J Med Microbiol 58: 753-759 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hagge, D. A., Saunders, B. M., Ebenezer, G. J., Ray, N. A., Marks, V. T., Britton, W. J., Krahenbuhl, J. L., Adams, L. B. (2009). Lymphotoxin-{alpha} and TNF Have Essential but Independent Roles in the Evolution of the Granulomatous Response in Experimental Leprosy. Am. J. Pathol. 174: 1379-1389 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Duthie, M. S., Goto, W., Ireton, G. C., Reece, S. T., Sampaio, L. H., Grassi, A. B., Sousa, A. L. M., Martelli, C. M. T., Stefani, M. M. A., Reed, S. G. (2008). Antigen-Specific T-Cell Responses of Leprosy Patients. CVI 15: 1659-1665 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Matrat, S., Cambau, E., Jarlier, V., Aubry, A. (2008). Are All the DNA Gyrase Mutations Found in Mycobacterium leprae Clinical Strains Involved in Resistance to Fluoroquinolones?. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52: 745-747 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sapkota, B. R., Ranjit, C., Neupane, K. D., Macdonald, M. (2008). Development and evaluation of a novel multiple-primer PCR amplification refractory mutation system for the rapid detection of mutations conferring rifampicin resistance in codon 425 of the rpoB gene of Mycobacterium leprae. J Med Microbiol 57: 179-184 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Duthie, M. S., Reece, S. T., Lahiri, R., Goto, W., Raman, V. S., Kaplan, J., Ireton, G. C., Bertholet, S., Gillis, T. P., Krahenbuhl, J. L., Reed, S. G. (2007). Antigen-Specific Cellular and Humoral Responses Are Induced by Intradermal Mycobacterium leprae Infection of the Mouse Ear. Infect. Immun. 75: 5290-5297 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Saha, S., Mondal, S., Ravindran, R., Bhowmick, S., Modak, D., Mallick, S., Rahman, M., Kar, S., Goswami, R., Guha, S. K., Pramanik, N., Saha, B., Ali, N. (2007). IL-10- and TGF-beta-Mediated Susceptibility in Kala-azar and Post-kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis: The Significance of Amphotericin B in the Control of Leishmania donovani Infection in India. J. Immunol. 179: 5592-5603 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mendonca, V. A., Malaquias, L. C., Brito-Melo, G. E., Castelo-Branco, A., Antunes, C. M., Ribeiro, A. L., Teixeira, M. M., Teixeira, A. L. (2007). Differentiation of Patients with Leprosy from Non-Infected Individuals by the Chemokine Eotaxin/CCL11. Am J Trop Med Hyg 77: 547-550 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Matrat, S., Petrella, S., Cambau, E., Sougakoff, W., Jarlier, V., Aubry, A. (2007). Expression and Purification of an Active Form of the Mycobacterium leprae DNA Gyrase and Its Inhibition by Quinolones. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 1643-1648 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fenollar, F., Puechal, X., Raoult, D. (2007). Whipple's Disease. NEJM 356: 55-66 [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»