Viability of Mycobacterium leprae in the environment and its role in leprosy dissemination.
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Date
2016-01
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Abstract
Background: 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. Aims: To study the occurrence of viable
M. leprae in environmental samples collected from areas of residence of patients with active
leprosy. Methods: The study was conducted on 169 newly diagnosed leprosy patients in
Ghatampur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Soil and water samples were collected from their areas of
residence using a standardized protocol. An equal number of soil and water samples were
also collected from non-patient areas of the same or adjoining villages. The environmental
samples collected from the patients surroundings were subjected to 16S ribosomal RNA gene
analysis after obtaining informed consent. Results: About a quarter of the environmental
samples collected from patient areas, (25.4% of soil samples and 24.2% of water samples)
were found to be positive for specifi c 16S ribosomal RNA genes of M. leprae. Environmental
samples collected from non-patient areas were all found negative for M. leprae 16S ribosomal
RNA genes. Limitations: The major limitation of the study was that the sample size was
small. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the presence of viable strains of M. leprae in
skin smear samples of paucibacillary patients and multibacillary patients, as well as in the
environmental samples obtained from around their houses. This could play an important role
in the continued transmission of leprosy.
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Keywords
16S ribosomal RNA, leprosy, multibacillary, Mycobacterium leprae, paucibacillary
Citation
Mohanty Partha Sarathi, Naaz Farah, Katara Dheeraj, Misba Lama, Kumar Dilip, Dwivedi Deepak Kumar, Tiwari Amit Kumar, Chauhan Devendra Singh, Bansal Avi Kumar, Tripathy Srikanth Prasad, Katoch Kiran. Viability of Mycobacterium leprae in the environment and its role in leprosy dissemination. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology. 2016 Jan-Feb; 82(1): 23-27.