Background

Causative agent. Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by the non-cultivable, slow-growing, acid-fast bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It is thought to be transmitted from human to human by nasal droplets, as distinct from the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Leprosy lesions have been reported to develop at the site of skin abrasions. Naturally occurring M. leprae infection has been reported in wild animals, including the nine-banded armadillo in the New World, and several species of monkeys in Africa. In humans, M. leprae primarily infects macrophages, endothelial cells and Schwann cells. The unique tropism of M. leprae for peripheral nerves leads to the classical deformities that have been described over the ages.

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