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application of mycobacterium leprae-specific cellular and serological tests for the differential diagnosis of leprosy from confounding dermatoses.mycobacterium leprae-specific serological and cell-mediated-immunity/cmi test were evaluated for the differential diagnosis of multibacillary/mb, and paucibacillary/pb leprosy from other dermatoses. whole-blood assay/wba/ifnγ stimulated with lid-1 antigen and elisa tests for igg to lid-1 and igm to pgl-i were performed. wba/lid-1/ifnγ production was observed in 72% pb, 11% mb leprosy, 38% dermatoses, 40% healthy endemic controls/ec. the receiver operating curve/roc for wba/lid-1 in pb versus oth ...201627506457
renal amyloidosis in leprosy, an infrequent cause of nephrotic syndrome in europe.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae the main clinical manifestations involve the skin and the peripheral nervous system. several types of nephropathy have been described in leprosy. one frequent form of renal involvement is amyloidosis, especially in patients with lepromatous leprosy. in these patients, end-stage renal disease is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality. here, we present the case of a patient with nephrotic syndrome caused by seconda ...201627489069
profiling of intracellular metabolites: an approach to understanding the characteristic physiology of mycobacterium leprae.mycobacterium leprae is the causative agent of leprosy and also known to possess unique features such as inability to proliferate in vitro. among the cellular components of m. leprae, various glycolipids present on the cell envelope are well characterized and some of them are identified to be pathogenic factors responsible for intracellular survival in host cells, while other intracellular metabolites, assumed to be associated with basic physiological feature, remain largely unknown. in the pres ...201627479467
dna sensing via tlr-9 constitutes a major innate immunity pathway activated during erythema nodosum leprosum.the chronic course of lepromatous leprosy may be interrupted by acute inflammatory episodes known as erythema nodosum leprosum (enl). despite its being a major cause of peripheral nerve damage in leprosy patients, the immunopathogenesis of enl remains ill-defined. recognized by distinct families of germline-encoded pattern recognition receptors, endogenous and pathogen-derived nucleic acids are highly immunostimulatory molecules that play a major role in the host defense against infections, auto ...201627474073
spatial and temporal epidemiology of mycobacterium leprae infection among leprosy patients and household contacts of an endemic region in southeast brazil.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that remains a public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. household contacts of leprosy patients (hhcs) have increased risk of developing disease and are important links in the chain of transmission of mycobacterium leprae. based on epidemiological and operational factors, the global elimination strategy depends on the geographic stratification of endemic areas to intensify control activities. the purpose of the study was to integrate epide ...201627469619
diguanylate cyclase activity of the mycobacterium leprae t cell antigen ml1419c.the second messenger, bis-(3',5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (cyclic di-gmp), is involved in the control of multiple bacterial phenotypes, including those that impact host-pathogen interactions. bioinformatics analyses predicted that mycobacterium leprae, an obligate intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of leprosy, encodes three active diguanylate cyclases. in contrast, the related pathogen mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes only a single diguanylate cyclase. one of the m. ...201627450520
regional anaesthesia management in a patient with leprosy: rare case with rare application.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that is caused by mycobacterium leprae and affects the skin and nerves. patients with leprosy having related peripheral neuropathy and involvement of other organs may have cardiac, respiratory dysautonomia and autonomic dysfunctions. there are very few studies regarding anaesthetic management of patients suffering from leprosy. moreover, very few studies concerning regional anaesthesia in patients with lepromatous leprosy have been reported. in this study, ...201627366553
s100a12 is part of the antimicrobial network against mycobacterium leprae in human macrophages.triggering antimicrobial mechanisms in macrophages infected with intracellular pathogens, such as mycobacteria, is critical to host defense against the infection. to uncover the unique and shared antimicrobial networks induced by the innate and adaptive immune systems, gene expression profiles generated by rna sequencing (rnaseq) from human monocyte-derived macrophages (mdms) activated with tlr2/1 ligand (tlr2/1l) or ifn-γ were analyzed. weighed gene correlation network analysis identified modul ...201627355424
mechanisms of defense against intracellular pathogens mediated by human macrophages.the key question our work has sought to address has been, "what are the necessary and sufficient conditions that engender protection from intracellular pathogens in the human host?" the origins of this work derive from a long-standing interest in the mechanisms of protection against two such paradigmatic intracellular pathogens, mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae, that have brilliantly adapted to the human host. it was obvious that these pathogens, which cause chronic diseases a ...201627337485
human nod2 recognizes structurally unique muramyl dipeptides from mycobacterium leprae.the innate immune system recognizes microbial pathogens via pattern recognition receptors. one such receptor, nod2, via recognition of muramyl dipeptide (mdp), triggers a distinct network of innate immune responses, including the production of interleukin-32 (il-32), which leads to the differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells (dc). nod2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human leprosy, yet it is not clear whether mycobacterium leprae, which has a distinct mdp structure, can acti ...201627297389
mycobacterium leprae-induced insulin-like growth factor i attenuates antimicrobial mechanisms, promoting bacterial survival in macrophages.mycobacterium leprae (ml), the etiologic agent of leprosy, can subvert macrophage antimicrobial activity by mechanisms that remain only partially understood. in the present study, the participation of hormone insulin-like growth factor i (igf-i) in this phenomenum was investigated. macrophages from the dermal lesions of the disseminated multibacillary lepromatous form (ll) of leprosy expressed higher levels of igf-i than those from the self-limited paucibacillary tuberculoid form (bt). higher le ...201627282338
soil-transmitted helminth infections and leprosy: a cross-sectional study of the association between two major neglected tropical diseases in indonesia.the clinical spectrum of leprosy is dependent on the host immune response against mycobacterium leprae or the newly discovered mycobacterium lepromatosis antigen. helminth infections have been shown to affect the development of several diseases through immune regulation and thus may play a role in the clinical manifestations of leprosy and leprosy reactions. the purpose of this study is to determine the proportion of helminth infections in leprosy and its association with the type of leprosy and ...201627278453
tuberculosis and leprosy infections in the marshallese population of arkansas, usa.the cross-immunity between tuberculosis and leprosy is unknown. the aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the occurrence of mycobacterium tuberculosis and m. leprae infection in marshallese adult volunteers in springdale, arkansas, u.s.a., a population that experiences high rates of leprosy and tuberculosis. we used immunodiagnostic testing for tuberculosis and leprosy infection and found significant prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (19.0%), and asymptomatic mycobacterium leprae inf ...201627255065
autochthonous borderline tuberculoid leprosy in a man from florida.leprosy (hansen's disease) is a chronic contagious granulomatous disease principally affecting the skin and peripheral nervous system, caused by mycobacterium leprae. in this report, we present a case of autochthonous leprosy in a man from florida as the first human case reported from this region. authors believe dermatologists need to be aware of the possibility of autochthonous transmission of leprosy in the eastern-southern united states, and should consider leprosy in any patient with atypic ...201627255063
mutation at codon 442 in the rpob gene of mycobacterium leprae does not confer resistance to rifampicin.rifampicin is the major drug in the treatment of leprosy. the rifampicin resistance of mycobacterium leprae results from a mutation in the rpob gene, encoding the β subunit of rna polymerase. as m. leprae is a non-cultivable organism observation of its growth using mouse food-pad (mfp) is the only gold standard assay used for confirmation of "in-vivo" drug resistance.201627255062
association of viable mycobacterium leprae with type 1 reaction in leprosy.the working hypothesis is that, viable mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) play a crucial role in the precipitation of type 1 reaction (t1r) in leprosy.201627255061
[borderline leprosy as a rare differential diagnosis].history and clinical findings | a 42-year-old migrant from brazil presented with persistent sensory disturbances, skin discolorations and local alopecia in the upper limbs. decisive for the presentation in our tropical medicine clinic were new occurrences of severe pain and redness and swelling in the area of the lesions that had already been assessed by a number of medical specialists without a clear diagnosis could be made. investigations and diagnosis | the histological analysis of skin biops ...201627254633
expression profile of rab5, rab7, tryptophan aspartate-containing coat protein, leprae lipoarabinomannan, and phenolic glycolipid-1 on the failure of the phagolysosome process in macrophages of leprosy patients as a viability marker of mycobacterium leprae.phagolysosome process in macrophage of leprosy patients' is important in the early phase of eliminating mycobacterium leprae invasion. this study was to clarify the involvement of rab5, rab7, and trytophan aspartate-containing coat protein (taco) from host macrophage and leprae lipoarabinomannan (lep-lam) and phenolic glycolipid-1 (pgl-1) from m. leprae cell wall as the reflection of phagolysosome process in relation to 16 subunit ribosomal rna (16s rrna) m. leprae as a marker of viability of m. ...201627242226
mycobacterium leprae specific genomic target in the promoter region of probable 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (ml1545) gene with potential sensitivity for polymerase chain reaction based diagnosis of leprosy.with the absence of an effective diagnostic tool for leprosy, cases with negative bacteriological index and limited clinical manifestations often pose diagnostic challenges. in this study, we investigated the utility of a novel mycobacterium leprae specific 112-bp dna sequence in the promoter region of probable 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (pseudogene, ml1545) for polymerase chain reaction (pcr) based diagnosis of leprosy in comparison to that of the rlep gene. dna was extracted from slit skin scr ...201627242223
[methods for determining the antimicrobial susceptibility of mycobacteria].mycobacteria are a large group of microorganisms, multiple species of which are major causes of morbidity and mortality, such as tuberculosis and leprosy. at present, the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis complex are one of the most serious health problems worldwide. furthermore, in contrast to m. tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (ntm) are more frequently isolated and, in many cases, treatment is based on drug sus ...201627236235
leprosy in children and adolescents under 15 years old in an urban centre in brazil.this original study describes the intra-urban distribution of cases of leprosy in residents under 15 years old in salvador, bahia, brazil; the study also identifies the environment in which mycobacterium leprae is being transmitted. the cases were distributed by operational classification, clinical forms, type of contact and the addresses were geo-referenced by neighborhood. between 2007 and 2011, were reported 145 cases of leprosy in target population living in salvador, corresponding to detect ...201627223655
increasing incidence of leprosy and transmission from armadillos in central florida: a case series. 201627222885
pauci- and multibacillary leprosy: two distinct, genetically neglected diseases.after sustained exposure to mycobacterium leprae, only a subset of exposed individuals develops clinical leprosy. moreover, leprosy patients show a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations that extend from the paucibacillary (pb) to the multibacillary (mb) form of the disease. this "polarization" of leprosy has long been a major focus of investigation for immunologists because of the different immune response in these two forms. but while leprosy per se has been shown to be under tight human gen ...201627219008
patterns of mycobacterium leprae infection in wild nine-banded armadillos (dasypus novemcinctus) in mississippi, usa.the nine-banded armadillo ( dasypus novemcinctus ) is the only known nonhuman reservoir of mycobacterium leprae , the causative agent of hansen's disease or leprosy. we conducted a 6-yr study on a wild population of armadillos in western mississippi that was exposed to m. leprae to evaluate the importance of demographic and spatial risk factors on individual antibody status. we found that spatially derived covariates were not predictive of antibody status. furthermore, analyses revealed no evide ...201627195687
leprosy among children under 15 years of age: literature review.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, representing a public health issue in some countries. though more prevalent in adults, the detection of new cases in children under 15 years of age reveals an active circulation of bacillus, continued transmission and lack of disease control by the health system, as well as aiding in the monitoring of the endemic. among patients under 15 years of age, the most affected age group is children between 10 and 14 years of age, al ...201627192519
combination chemoprophylaxis and immunoprophylaxis in reducing the incidence of leprosy.leprosy is a complex infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae that is a leading cause of nontraumatic peripheral neuropathy. current control strategies, with a goal of early diagnosis and treatment in the form of multidrug therapy, have maintained new case reports at ~225,000 per year. diagnostic capabilities are limited and even with revisions to multidrug therapy regimen, treatment can still require up to a year of daily drug intake. although alternate chemotherapies or adjunct immune ...201627175099
leprosy as a model to understand cancer immunosurveillance and t cell anergy.leprosy is a disease caused by mycobacterium leprae that presents on a spectrum of both clinical manifestations and t cell response. on one end of this spectrum, tuberculoid leprosy is a well-controlled disease, characterized by a cell-mediated immunity and immunosurveillance. on the opposite end of the spectrum, lepromatous leprosy is characterized by m. leprae proliferation and t cell anergy. similar to progressive tumor cells, m. leprae escapes immunosurveillance in more severe forms of lepro ...201627106673
inoculation site leprosy in a tattoo as a paradoxical reaction following tuberculosis treatment.we present a patient who developed inoculation site leprosy in a tattoo, which was confirmed by mycobacterium leprae dna sequencing of a polymerase chain reaction product from a skin biopsy. his leprosy became manifest as a paradoxical reaction only after 8 weeks of treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis.201627084829
a quantitative approach to analyzing genome reductive evolution using protein-protein interaction networks: a case study of mycobacterium leprae.the advance in high-throughput sequencing technologies has yielded complete genome sequences of several organisms, including complete bacterial genomes. the growing number of these available sequenced genomes has enabled analyses of their dynamics, as well as the molecular and evolutionary processes which these organisms are under. comparative genomics of different bacterial genomes have highlighted their genome size and gene content in association with lifestyles and adaptation to various envir ...201627066064
clinical pearls: leprosy reactions.leprosy reactions are acute inflammatory episodes that occur in the setting of mycobacterium leprae infection. precipitants of reactions can be pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic. both type 1 and type 2 reactions typically occur before and during leprosy treatment but may also occur after treatment has been completed. reactions cause morbidity due to nerve damage, and prompt corticosteroid therapy is warranted to minimize nerve damage due to reactions.201627060010
mycobacterium leprae is usually positive to periodic acid-schiff and grocott stains. 201626999344
mycobacterium leprae alters classical activation of human monocytes in vitro.macrophages play a central role in the pathogenesis of leprosy, caused by mycobacterium leprae. the polarized clinical presentations in leprosy are associated with differential immune activation. in tuberculoid leprosy, macrophages show a classical activation phenotype (m1), while macrophages in lepromatous disease display characteristics of alternative activation (m2). bacille calmette-guérin (bcg) vaccination, which protects against leprosy, can promote sustained changes in monocyte response t ...201626973434
[a strange facial mutilation]. 201626969390
leprous neuromyositis: a rare clinical entity and review of the literature.mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy (hansen's disease), is a slow growing intracellular acid-fast bacillus that affects the skin, peripheral nerves and respiratory tract. in patients with suppressed cell-mediated immunity, the infiltration of the bacilli can produce disseminated illness such as leprous neuromyositis. we reported a case of 56-year-old gentleman presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin, asymmetric sensory motor axonal polyneuropathy and was on chronic exogenous s ...201626776128
advances in leprosy immunology and the field application: a gap to bridge.advances concerning the hosts' immune response to mycobacterium leprae infection have focused on elucidating the immune pathomechanisms involved, with the hope that predictive diagnostic and prognostic parameters (biomarkers) for field use would emerge; however, improvements in our understanding of the immunologic responses to this complex disease have, to date, somewhat failed to provide the effective and robust methods for improving its predictive diagnosis in the field situation, particularly ...201626773628
history of chemotherapy of leprosy.chemotherapy of leprosy over the past 70 years has passed through several phases, from sulfones, to clofazimine, and to highly bactericidal drugs like rifampicin. the use particularly of the more potent drugs in effective combinations and the development of standard multidrug therapy regimens have made a huge difference in the successful treatment of leprosy as well as in reducing tremendously the prevalence of leprosy globally. a major contributing factor to development of better drugs and drug ...201626773621
epidemiologic trends of leprosy for the 21st century.major gaps still exist in the knowledge about leprosy, particularly with regard to how it spreads. leprosy epidemiology remains complicated due to the specific characteristics of mycobacterium leprae. to describe epidemiologic trends for the 21st century, the first part of this paper gives an overview of the epidemiology of leprosy, followed by past trends and the present situation of new-case detection as a proxy of the incidence. the third part, regarding predicted epidemiologic trends for the ...201626773620
association between str -794 catt5-8 and snp -173 g/c polymorphisms in the mif gene and lepromatous leprosy in mestizo patients of western mexico.lepromatous leprosy (ll) is the most common presentation of leprosy in mexico. ll patients are unable to activate an effective inflammatory response against mycobacterium leprae probably due to the genetics of the host. macrophage migration inhibitory factor (mif) is important to trigger inflammation processes. two polymorphisms have been reported for human mif: str -794 catt5-8 and snp -173 g/c. 7-8 catt repeats at -794 and the c allele at -173 increase the expression of mif. we aim to determin ...201627426952
integrative analyses of leprosy susceptibility genes indicate a common autoimmune profile.leprosy is an ancient chronic infection in the skin and peripheral nerves caused by mycobacterium leprae. the development of leprosy depends on genetic background and the immune status of the host. however, there is no systematic view focusing on the biological pathways, interaction networks and overall expression pattern of leprosy-related immune and genetic factors.201626805555
essentiality assessment of cysteinyl and lysyl-trna synthetases of mycobacterium smegmatis.discovery of mupirocin, an antibiotic that targets isoleucyl-trna synthetase, established aminoacyl-trna synthetase as an attractive target for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. despite a high degree of similarity between the bacterial and human aminoacyl-trna synthetases, the selectivity observed with mupirocin triggered the possibility of targeting other aminoacyl-trna synthetases as potential drug targets. these enzymes catalyse the condensation of a specific amino acid to its cogn ...201626794499
reciprocity between regulatory t cells and th17 cells: relevance to polarized immunity in leprosy.t cell defect is a common feature in lepromatous or borderline lepromatous leprosy (ll/bl) patients in contrast to tuberculoid or borderline tuberculoid type (tt/bt) patients. tuberculoid leprosy is characterized by strong th1-type cell response with localized lesions whereas lepromatous leprosy is hallmarked by its selective mycobacterium leprae specific t cell anergy leading to disseminated and progressive disease. foxp3+ regulatory t cells (treg) which are essential for maintaining peripheral ...201626751584
mycobacterium leprae-infected macrophages preferentially primed regulatory t cell responses and was associated with lepromatous leprosy.the persistence of mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) infection is largely dependent on the types of host immune responses being induced. macrophage, a crucial modulator of innate and adaptive immune responses, could be directly infected by m. leprae. we therefore postulated that m. leprae-infected macrophages might have altered immune functions.201626751388
complement activation in leprosy: a retrospective study shows elevated circulating terminal complement complex in reactional leprosy.mycobacterium leprae infection gives rise to the immunologically and histopathologically classified spectrum of leprosy. at present, several tools for the stratification of patients are based on acquired immunity markers. however, the role of innate immunity, particularly the complement system, is largely unexplored. the present retrospective study was undertaken to explore whether the systemic levels of complement activation components and regulators can stratify leprosy patients, particularly ...201626749503
viability of mycobacterium leprae in the environment and its role in leprosy dissemination.leprosy, a chronic disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, is a public health concern in certain countries, including india. although the prevalence of the disease has fallen drastically over time, new cases continue to occur at nearly the same rate in many regions. several endemic pockets have been observed in india and elsewhere. the precise dynamics of leprosy transmission are still not clearly understood. both live bacilli as well as m. leprae dna have been detected in the soil and water of ...201626728806
leprosy in denmark 1980-2010: a review of 15 cases.leprosy, caused by mycobacterium leprae, is a chronic and progressive granulomatous disease affecting mainly the skin and the peripheral nervous system. if left unrecognized, the infection can lead to permanent nerve damage and disability. the clinical presentation depends on the immune response of the patient and can result in a wide spectrum of symptoms. leprosy is a rare encounter in scandinavia but remains endemic in some parts of the world, with some areas reporting an increasing incidence. ...201626732436
correlation between nerve growth factor and tissue expression of il-17 in leprosy.leprosy is a serious public health problem in peripheral and developing countries. leprosy is a chronic infectious-contagious disease caused by the intracellular, bacillus mycobacterium leprae, which causes tissue damage and demyelination of peripheral nerves. recent studies have demonstrated the participation of new subtype's cytokines profile in the inflammatory response of leprosy. since nerve functions are affected by inflammatory response during the course of leprosy, changes in the product ...201626616164
genetic variation in toll-interacting protein is associated with leprosy susceptibility and cutaneous expression of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist.leprosy is a chronic disease characterized by skin and peripheral nerve pathology and immune responses that fail to control mycobacterium leprae. toll-interacting protein (tollip) regulates toll-like receptor (tlr) and interleukin 1 receptor (il-1r) signaling against mycobacteria. we analyzed messenger rna (mrna) expression of candidate immune genes in skin biopsy specimens from 85 individuals with leprosy. tollip mrna was highly and specifically correlated with il-1r antagonist (il-1ra). in a c ...201626610735
a case of leprosy in italy: a multifaceted disease which continues to challenge medical doctors.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, characterized by a very long incubation period, confounding signs and symptoms and difficulty to establish the onset time. considering the stigma associated with the diagnosis and the difficulties in detecting asymptomatic leprosy, the incidence and prevalence of this disease are underestimated. in italy, leprosy is currently included among the rare diseases and can occur as an imported pathology in native individuals or ext ...201626018958
langerhans cells (cd1a and cd207), dermal dendrocytes (fxiiia) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (cd123) in skin lesions of leprosy patients.the clinical course of infection with mycobacterium leprae varies widely and depends on the pattern of the host immune response. dendritic cells play an important role in the activation of the innate and adaptive immune system and seem to be essential for the development of the disease. to analyze the presence of epidermal dendritic cells (cd1a and cd207), plasmacytoid dendritic cells (cd123) and dermal dendrocytes (factor xiiia) in lesion fragments of leprosy patients, skin samples from 30 pati ...201626639680
bone changes in an italian ancient human skeleton--possibly caused by leprosy.leprosy is an infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium lepromatosis. in the last stage it can afflict the skeleton with a series of specific and non-specific bone changes. the possibility of studyingthe skeleton of an individual who lived in the pre-antibiotic era (roman period) with skeletal changes in the rhino-maxillary region and hand and foot bones, permitted skeletal lesions to be analyzed directly. in addition, the localization and the complexity of the bony les ...201627506007
[hansen's disease in israel].hansen's disease (hd) is an anthropophylic, infectious, chronic disease, caused by mycobacterium leprae. the systemic disease, affecting both males and females at any age, involves mainly the skin and the peripheral nerves located in the limbs close to the skin. traditionally the treatment of hd patients was entrusted to dermatologists. current drug therapy given at an early stage can prevent many of the complications, and enables patients to go on with life. in 95% of the population there is an ...201628530057
the intergenic recombinant hla-b∗46:01 has a distinctive peptidome that includes kir2dl3 ligands.hla-b(∗)46:01 was formed by an intergenic mini-conversion, between hla-b(∗)15:01 and hla-c(∗)01:02, in southeast asia during the last 50,000 years, and it has since become the most common hla-b allele in the region. a functional effect of the mini-conversion was introduction of the c1 epitope into hla-b(∗)46:01, making it an exceptional hla-b allotype that is recognized by the c1-specific natural killer (nk) cell receptor kir2dl3. high-resolution mass spectrometry showed that hla-b(∗)46:01 has a ...201728514659
in situ complement activation and t-cell immunity in leprosy spectrum: an immunohistological study on leprosy lesional skin.mycobacterium leprae (m. leprae) infection causes nerve damage and the condition worsens often during and long after treatment. clearance of bacterial antigens including lipoarabinomannan (lam) during and after treatment in leprosy patients is slow. we previously demonstrated that m. leprae lam damages peripheral nerves by in situ generation of the membrane attack complex (mac). investigating the role of complement activation in skin lesions of leprosy patients might provide insight into the dyn ...201728505186
interruption of persistent exposure to leprosy combined or not with recent bcg vaccination enhances the response to mycobacterium leprae specific antigens.household contacts of multibacillary leprosy patients (hcmb) constitute the group of individuals at the highest risk of developing leprosy. early diagnosis and treatment of their index cases combined with bacille calmette-guerin (bcg) immunization remain important strategies adopted in brazil to prevent hcmb from evolving into active disease. in the present study, we assessed the impact of these measures on the immune response to mycobacterium leprae in hcmb. peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( ...201728467415
severe type 1 upgrading leprosy reaction in a renal transplant recipient: a paradoxical manifestation associated with deficiency of antigen-specific regulatory t-cells?due to its chronic subclinical course and large spectrum of manifestations, leprosy often represents a diagnostic challenge. even with proper anti-mycobacteria treatment, leprosy follow up remains challenging: almost half of leprosy patients may develop reaction episodes. leprosy is an infrequent complication of solid organ transplant recipients. this case report illustrates the challenges in diagnosing and managing leprosy and its reactional states in a transplant recipient.201728438129
distinct roles of th17 and th1 cells in inflammatory responses associated with the presentation of paucibacillary leprosy and leprosy reactions.it is well established that helper t cell responses influence resistance or susceptibility to mycobacterium leprae infection, but the role of more recently described helper t cell subsets in determining severity is less clear. to investigate the involvement of th17 cells in the pathogenesis of leprosy, we determined the immune profile with variant presentations of leprosy. firstly, il-17a, ifn-γ and il-10 were evaluated in conjunction with cd4(+) t cell staining by confocal microscopy of lesion ...201728426172
structural and functional changes in the microcirculation of lepromatous leprosy patients - observation using orthogonal polarization spectral imaging and laser doppler flowmetry iontophoresis.leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infection of skin and peripheral nerves caused by mycobacterium leprae and is considered the main infectious cause of disability worldwide. despite the several studies regarding leprosy, little is known about its effects on microvascular structure and function in vivo. thus, we have aimed to compare skin capillary structure and functional density, cutaneous vasomotion (spontaneous oscillations of arteriolar diameter), which ensures optimal blood flow distributi ...201728419120
quinolone resistance-associated amino acid substitutions affect enzymatic activity of mycobacterium leprae dna gyrase.quinolones are important antimicrobials for treatment of leprosy, a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. although it is well known that mutations in dna gyrase are responsible for quinolone resistance, the effect of those mutations on the enzymatic activity is yet to be studied in depth. hence, we conducted in vitro assays to observe supercoiling reactions of wild type and mutated m. leprae dna gyrases. dna gyrase with amino acid substitution ala91val possessed the highest ...201728417702
comparing the sensitivity of auramine-rhodamine fluorescence to polymerase chain reaction in the detection of mycobacterium leprae in fite-negative tissue sections. 201728411775
a very common case become rare: anesthetic considerations of lepromatous leprosy.leprosy or hansen's disease is very uncommon in developed countries. more than 80% of the world's cases occurs and still reported from developing countries. but nowadays due to increase in international affairs, medical tourism, globalization and immigration, there is increasing possibility to find patients anywhere, which require anesthesia for surgical interventions. leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae and involves mainly skin, peripheral nervous system, uppe ...201725885391
histoid leprosy in varanasi.seventeen cases of histoid leprosy were found in skin out patients department of institute of medical sciences in one year out of a total of 1394 cases of leprosy registered. the histoid leprosy rate is thus 1.2 %. the total lepromitous leprosy cases were 194 with which lepromatous index works out to be 13.9% about half of the histoid leprosy cases had no antileprosy treatment. bacteriological index was high (4 to 6 + ) and morphological index renged from 20 to 70%. in this study there does not ...201728176731
editorial-mycobacterium leprae captured? 201728276399
mycobacterium lepraemurium uses tlr-6 and mr, but not lipid rafts or dc-sign, to gain access into mouse macrophages.mycobacterium lepraemurium (mlm), the etiologic agent of murine leprosy, is an intracellular parasite of macrophages; the mechanism used by this bacterium to enter macrophages is not known. the fate of the mlm phagosome inside macrophages is also unknown. this study was conducted to investigate how mlm enters macrophages and to define the maturation process of mlm phagosome inside macrophages.201728317806
protein tagging, destruction and infection.cells possess protein quality control mechanisms to maintain proper cellular homeostasis. in eukaryotes, the roles of the ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation of cellular proteins is well established. recent studies have elucidated protein tagging mechanisms in prokaryotes, involving transfer messenger rna (tmrna) and pupylation. in this review, newer insights and bioinformatics analysis of two distinct bacterial protein tagging machineries are discussed. the machinery for tmrna-me ...201728707598
prof. masao ota.masao ota was a professor of dermatology at tokyo imperial university. he is known to dermatologists around the world as the researcher who identified nevus of ota. he is also known for his research on hansen's disease. he was critical of the forced isolation policy and the sterilization law. he dreamt of developing chemotherapeutic measures and dedicated himself to cultivating mycobacterium leprae. among his accomplishments, those in the area of medical mycology are particularly remarkable. his ...201728855482
acid-fast bacterium detection and identification from paraffin-embedded tissues using a pcr-pyrosequencing method.acid-fast bacterium (afb) identification from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (ffpe) tissues is challenging and may not be readily available to the clinical laboratory. a method to detect and identify afb from ffpe tissues using pcr and pyrosequencing (pcr-seq) was developed and evaluated.201728735303
epidemiological perspective of national leprosy eradication programme in maharashtra: focusing on "tribal hot-spot" of tribal district.leprosy or hansen's disease, a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae is a serious public health concern because of associated case load, morbidity and stigma attached to it. india achieved elimination of leprosy as a public health problem (prevalence rate [pr]<1 case/10,000 population) at the national level on january 1, 2006, still 19% districts in the country report pr more than one. in maharashtra, it is found that very few districts within the state or very few pockets wi ...201728852284
nitazoxanide is active against mycobacterium leprae.nitazoxanide (ntz) is an anti-parasitic drug that also has activity against bacteria, including mycobacterium tuberculosis. our data using both radiorespirometry and live-dead staining in vitro demonstrate that ntz similarly has bactericidal against m. leprae. further, gavage of m. leprae-infected mice with ntz at 25mg/kg provided anti-mycobacterial activity equivalent to rifampicin (rif) at 10 mg/kg. this suggests that ntz could be considered for leprosy treatment.201728850614
fate of t cells and their secretary proteins during the progression of leprosy.leprosy is an infectious disease caused by non-cultivable bacteria mycobacterium leprae. ridley and jopling classified the disease into five polar forms, tuberculoid (tt) and lepromatous (ll), in between two forms of the disease borderline tuberculoid (bt), borderline (bb) and borderline lepromatous (bl) are laid. the tuberculoid type (bt/tt) leprosy patients show good recall of cell-mediated immune (cmi) response and th1 type of immune response, while lepromatous leprosy (ll) patients show defe ...201728847289
a macrophage response to mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid initiates nerve damage in leprosy.mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy and is unique among mycobacterial diseases in producing peripheral neuropathy. this debilitating morbidity is attributed to axon demyelination resulting from direct interaction of the m. leprae-specific phenolic glycolipid 1 (pgl-1) with myelinating glia and their subsequent infection. here, we use transparent zebrafish larvae to visualize the earliest events of m. leprae-induced nerve damage. we find that demyelination and axonal damage are not directly initi ...201728841420
feline leprosy due to candidatus 'mycobacterium lepraefelis': further clinical and molecular characterisation of eight previously reported cases and an additional 30 cases.this paper, the last in a series of three on 'feline leprosy', provides a detailed description of disease referable to the previously unnamed species, candidatus 'mycobacterium lepraefelis', a close relative of the human pathogens mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium lepromatosis.201728838294
dermoscopy of borderline tuberculoid leprosy.leprosy is a chronic granulomatous condition caused by mycobacterium leprae, and borderline tuberculoid (bt) leprosy is the most common type of leprosy and presents with large, well- to ill-defined hypopigmented patches. it is known for atypical presentations. dermoscopy of granulomatous conditions is well documented. however, there is no description of dermoscopy of bt leprosy in the literature. authors evaluated the dermoscopic patterns of bt leprosy.201728833001
field-friendly serological tests for determination of m. leprae-specific antibodies.early detection of leprosy is key to reduce the ongoing transmission. antibodies directed against m. leprae pgl-i represent a useful biomarker for detecting multibacillary (mb) patients. since efficient leprosy diagnosis requires field-friendly test conditions, we evaluated two rapid lateral flow assays (lfa) for detection of mycobacterium leprae-specific antibodies: the visual immunogold onsite leprosy ab rapid test [gold-lfa] and the quantitative, luminescent up-converting phosphor anti-pgl-i ...201728827673
characterization of ofloxacin interaction with mutated (a91v) quinolone resistance determining region of dna gyrase in mycobacterium leprae through computational simulation.mycobacterium leprae, the causal agent of leprosy is non-cultivable in vitro. thus, the assessment of antibiotic activity against mycobacterium leprae depends primarily upon the time-consuming mouse footpad system. the gyra protein of mycobacterium leprae is the target of the antimycobacterial drug, ofloxacin. in recent times, the gyra mutation (a91v) has been found to be resistant to ofloxacin. this phenomenon has necessitated the development of new, long-acting antimycobacterial compounds. the ...201728822069
characterization of novel bangle lectin from photorhabdus asymbiotica with dual sugar-binding specificity and its effect on host immunity.photorhabdus asymbiotica is one of the three recognized species of the photorhabdus genus, which consists of gram-negative bioluminescent bacteria belonging to the family morganellaceae. these bacteria live in a symbiotic relationship with nematodes from the genus heterorhabditis, together forming a complex that is highly pathogenic for insects. unlike other photorhabdus species, which are strictly entomopathogenic, p. asymbiotica is unique in its ability to act as an emerging human pathogen. an ...201728806750
a synopsis of the history of hansen's disease.leprosy is a contagious infectious disease caused by the bacillus mycobacterium leprae. this microorganism was discovered by dr. gerhard hansen, and the illness was then baptized as hansen's disease. for a long time, hansen's disease was thought to be hereditary-a curse or a punishment from god. the disease affects skin and nerves and can cause severe damage. due to its destructive effects, leprosy has caused fear, segregation, and prejudice in all societies since biblical times. patients with h ...201728801812
deciphering the genetic control of gene expression following mycobacterium leprae antigen stimulation.leprosy is a human infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. a strong host genetic contribution to leprosy susceptibility is well established. however, the modulation of the transcriptional response to infection and the mechanism(s) of disease control are poorly understood. to address this gap in knowledge of leprosy pathogenicity, we conducted a genome-wide search for expression quantitative trait loci (eqtl) that are associated with transcript variation before and after stimulation wi ...201728793313
leprosy in a lombard-avar cemetery in central italy (campochiaro, molise, 6th-8th century ad): ancient dna evidence and demography.the study of past infectious diseases increases knowledge of the presence, impact and spread of pathogens within ancient populations.201728715914
innovative tools and approaches to end the transmission of mycobacterium leprae.leprosy control has seen little innovation and only limited progress in the past decade. however, research on the disease has increased and important innovations are underway. here, we comment on efforts to develop tools and approaches to detect leprosy and to stop the transmission of mycobacterium leprae, the causative bacillus of the disease. the tracing and screening of contacts of known patients with leprosy promises to strengthen early diagnosis, while preventive chemotherapy will reduce th ...201728693856
multidrug therapy for leprosy: a game changer on the path to elimination.leprosy is present in more than 100 countries, where it remains a major cause of peripheral neuropathy and disability. attempts to eliminate the disease have faced various obstacles, including characteristics of the causative bacillus mycobacterium leprae: the long incubation period, limited knowledge about its mode of transmission, and its poor growth on culture media. fortunately, the leprosy bacillus is sensitive to several antibiotics. the first antibiotic to be widely used for leprosy treat ...201728693853
indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and iron are required for mycobacterium leprae survival.our previous study has demonstrated that il-10 may modulate both indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (ido) and cd163 expression in lepromatous leprosy (ll) cells, favoring mycobacterium leprae persistence through induction of regulatory pathways and iron storage. here, we observed that in ll lesion cells there is an increase in the expression of proteins involved in iron metabolism such as hemoglobin (hb), haptoglobin, heme oxygenase 1 and transferrin receptor 1 (tfr1) when compared to tuberculoid lepro ...201728684130
the formation of lipid droplets favors intracellular mycobacterium leprae survival in sw-10, non-myelinating schwann cells.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that is caused by the obligate intracellular pathogen mycobacterium leprae (m.leprae), which is the leading cause of all non-traumatic peripheral neuropathies worldwide. although both myelinating and non-myelinating schwann cells are infected by m.leprae in patients with lepromatous leprosy, m.leprae preferentially invades the non-myelinating schwann cells. however, the effect of m.leprae infection on non-myelinating schwann cells has not been elucidated. ...201728636650
anti-natural octyl disaccharide-leprosy idri diagnostic (ndo-lid) antibodies as indicators of leprosy reactions and neuritis.leprosy is a complex infectious and neurological disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. nerve damage is related to immunological hypersensitivity responses known as leprosy reactions (lrs). diagnostic tools to predict lrs are not available. we hypothesized that natural octyl disaccharide-leprosy idri diagnostic (ndo-lid) would be helpful as an indicator of lrs and neuritis.201728633333
whole genome sequencing distinguishes between relapse and reinfection in recurrent leprosy cases.since leprosy is both treated and controlled by multidrug therapy (mdt) it is important to monitor recurrent cases for drug resistance and to distinguish between relapse and reinfection as a means of assessing therapeutic efficacy. all three objectives can be reached with single nucleotide resolution using next generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of mycobacterium leprae dna present in human skin.201728617800
salivary anti-pgl-1 igm may indicate active transmission of mycobacterium leprae among young people under 16 years of age.considering that the main route of mycobacterium leprae transmission is the upper respiratory tract, detection of salivary antibodies can be a useful tool for diagnosing early infection. the study aimed to analyze salivary anti-pgl-1 iga and igm antibodies in 169 children aged 4-16 years old, who lived nearby or inside the house of multibacillary or paucibacillary leprosy patients in two endemic cities in alagoas state - brazil. salivary anti-pgl-1 antibodies were quantified by modified elisa me ...201728602616
serum anti-phenolic glycolipid-1 iga correlates to igm isotype in leprosy patients: a possible candidate for seroepidemiological surveys?the aim of this study was to compare serum anti-phenolic glycolipid-1 iga, igg, and igm levels in leprosy patients and controls.201728594117
dnahsp65 vaccine as therapy against paracoccidioidomycosis.the conventional treatment for fungal diseases usually shows long periods of therapy and the high frequency of relapses and sequels. new strategies of the treatment are necessary. we have shown that the mycobacterium leprae hsp65 gene can be successfully used as therapy against murine paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm). here, we described the methodology of dnahsp65 immunotherapy in mice infected with the dimorphic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis, one of pcm agent, evaluating cytokines levels, fu ...201728584985
leprosy in an eight-year-old child - an exceptional case with unusual oral manifestation.leprosy is a contagious and granulomatous disease which is caused by mycobacterium leprae. the incubation period for leprosy is five to seven years and it can take as long as about 30 years before signs and symptoms of leprosy develop in some patients. it is a chronic systemic disease which mostly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. it has been seen that indeterminate leprosy is the most common type seen in childhood followed by tuberculoid variant. borderline lepromatous and lepromatous lep ...201728571290
cytokines as biomarkers to monitoring the impact of multidrug therapy in immune response of leprosy patients.leprosy or hansen's disease is a chronic infectious disease of the skin and nerves, caused by the intracellular bacilli mycobacterium leprae. it is characterized by a spectrum of clinical forms depending on the host's immune response to m. leprae. patients with tuberculoid (tt) leprosy have strong cell-mediated immunity (cmi) with elimination of the bacilli, whereas patients with lepromatous (ll) leprosy exhibit defective cmi to m. leprae. despite advances in the understanding of the pathogenesi ...201728570932
qpcr-high resolution melt analysis for drug susceptibility testing of mycobacterium leprae directly from clinical specimens of leprosy patients.real-time pcr-high resolution melting (qpcr-hrm) analysis has been recently described for rapid drug susceptibility testing (dst) of mycobacterium leprae. the purpose of the current study was to further evaluate the validity, reliability, and accuracy of this assay for m. leprae dst in clinical specimens.201728570560
presence of mycobacterium leprae genotype 4 in environmental waters in northeast brazil.this study quantified mycobacterium leprae bacilli in environmental water samples from five municipalities in the state of ceará by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qpcr) and compared the identified genotypes with those obtained from leprosy patient biopsies.201728562758
t regulatory cells (treg)(tcd4+cd25+foxp3+) distribution in the different clinical forms of leprosy and reactional states.leprosy is characterized histologically by a spectrum of different granulomatous skin lesions, reflecting patients' immune responses to mycobacterium leprae. although cd4+cd25+ foxp3+ t regulatory cells are pivotal in the immuneregulation, presence, frequency, and distribution of tregs in leprosy, its reactional states have been investigated in few studies.201725672298
leprosy nephropathy: a review of clinical and histopathological features.leprosy is a chronic disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, highly incapacitating, and with systemic involvement in some cases. renal involvement has been reported in all forms of the disease, and it is more frequent in multibacillary forms. the clinical presentation is variable and is determined by the host immunologic system reaction to the bacilli. during the course of the disease there are the so called reactional states, in which the immune system reacts against the bacilli, exacerbating t ...201725651321
study of oxidative stress in different forms of leprosy.leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. india records the highest number of new leprosy cases in the world. oxidative stress may play a significant role in leprosy.201726120177
chronicles of gerhard-henrik armauer hansen's life and work.gerhard-henrik armauer hansen, a norwegian scientist, discovered mycobacterium leprae as the causative organism for leprosy, defying the hereditary affliction theory of the disease. he was born in bergen, norway in 1841 in a danish family. after acquiring his medical degree in 1866 from the university of oslo, he joined as an assistant physician in a leprosy hospital in bergen. in 1873, he published his report claiming leprosy to be an infectious disease with a description of the infectious mate ...201726120145
evaluation of the orofacial lesions in treated leprosy patients.leprosy is primarily a disease of developmental countries. about 4 million people have or are disabled by leprosy. eighty-six percent of leprosy patients reside in southeast asia and brazil. india accounts for up to 70% of total cases.201725948993
sensory cutaneous nerve fine-needle aspiration in hansen's disease: a retrospective analysis of our experience.leprosy affects peripheral nerves. as mycobacterium leprae has unique tropism for schwann cells, thickened sensory cutaneous nerves provide an easy target for the detection of lepra bacilli and other changes associated with the disease.201726729977
epidemiological aspects of leprosy in juazeiro-ba, from 2002 to 2012.leprosy is an infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, able to infect large numbers of people. this work is relevant to juazeiro-ba, a hyper-endemic area for leprosy, since unravel the behavior of the disease in the area, may suggest the decision making for sectors of surveillance, establishing strategies, organizing and evaluating programs and services.201726734859
imported and autochthonous leprosy presenting in madrid (1989-2015): a case series and review of the literature.leprosy remains infrequent in non-endemic areas. the objective of this study was to describe the cases of leprosy reviewed at a referral unit for imported diseases in europe and to compare these findings with published data on imported leprosy.201727393660
unique ttc repeat base pair loss mutation in cases of pure neural leprosy: a survival strategy of mycobacterium leprae?genomic reduction helps obligate intracellular microbes to survive difficult host niches. adaptation of mycobacterium leprae in cases of pure neural leprosy (pnl) in the intracellular niche of peripheral nerves can be associated with some gene loss. recently, a stable but variable number of tandem repefzats (ttc) have been reported in strains of m. leprae. folp and rpob genes are the two common mutation sites which deal with the susceptibility of the bacteria to drugs.201726288401
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