Open AccessViability of Mycobacterium leprae in the environment and its role in leprosy dissemination
Author(s) -
Prasanna Mohanty,
Farah Naaz,
Dheeraj Katara,
Lama Misba,
Dilip Kumar,
Deepak Dwivedi,
Amit Kumar Tiwari,
D. S. Chauhan,
Avi Kumar Bansal,
Srikanth Tripathy,
Kiran Katoch
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
indian journal of dermatology, venereology, and leprology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 0973-3922
pISSN - 0378-6323
DOI - 10.4103/0378-6323.168935
Subject(s) - leprosy , mycobacterium leprae , 16s ribosomal rna , ribosomal rna , transmission (telecommunications) , bacilli , veterinary medicine , biology , disease , medicine , bacteria , gene , immunology , pathology , genetics , electrical engineering , engineering
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 endemic areas; they possibly play an important role in disease transmission.