LEPROSY

Leprosy

Leprosy

Introduction

Leprosy is a contagious disease that affects the skin, muscles and the nervous system of the patients. The signs of the disease do appear immediately due to the slow replication process of the bacteria transferred into the human body. Leprosy originates due to the rod-shaped bacteria; the other effects of these bacteria in the human body appear in the form of the tuberculoid disease. An additional causative species “Mycobacterium Lepromatosis” was discovered in 2008 by U.S. researchers, who linked it to an alternative of the disease termed as diffuse lepromatous leprosy.

According to various studies, the origin of leprosy initiated from India, and with the passage of time the disease spread in the entire world. After India, leprosy spread in Europe and engulfed every region in the Middle Ages. Because the disease was frequently disfiguring and thought to be highly contagious, lepers tended to be shunned and were customarily required to live apart in what came to be called leprosaria, or later, leper colonies. This practice continued to be common even into the 20th century. Effective drug treatments are now available, and the disease has become much less common than it once was It occurs most frequently in tropical countries.

Microbial Characteristics

Leprosy is an infection caused by a germ Mycobacterium leprae. Until now, humans were the only known natural reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae; however, the current studies denote that these bacteria might be surviving on any host they come in contact. According to recent scientific studies, Mycobacterium leprae may also be present in the soil (Mcanney, 2009). Nevertheless, the transmission of Mycobacterium leprae is unknown. This form of bacteria involves close and lasting promiscuous family type (Buckingham, 2002). These bacteria are often found in the muscles and skin of the lepers; moreover, these types of bacteria may enter into the human body through skin wounds, and contaminated objects: clothes, mats, pillows.

In addition, the infected soil and insect vectors (bugs and mosquitoes) could play a role in the transmission of the disease. In 2011, there is evidence of a possible transmission of armadillos to humans. Tuberculoid leprosy is the mildest form and considered non-contagious (Mcneil, 2008). Nevertheless, Leprosy may be classified in two forms the lepromatous and tuberculoid (Buckingham, 2002). The immunological reaction differs these two types. In tuberculoid, the germs spread in the host's body and reveal a predominance of CD4+ and replicate with interleukin-2 substance. In lepromatous, the spread of the bacillus is much more important with the skin biopsy. In this process, the predominance of lymphocytes CD8+ and other cytokines transpire.

Treatment and Prognosis

The traditional treatments of leprosy are termed as mono-therapy and medieval treatment for the disease which fall in the first period due to the inability of physicians of the time for healing or even improved the sick (Gaudet, 2004). According to independent sources, the diagnosis of leprosy has been extensively studied for its exceptional historical and clinical value. However, those books that deal with treatment of the disease have been poorly studied and have been low important in ...