Abstract
BackgroundLeprosy is a slow, chronic disorder caused by Mycobacterium leprae. India has achieved elimination of leprosy in December 2005 but new cases are being detected and continue to occur in some endemic pockets. The possible ways of transmission of leprosy is not fully understood and is believed that leprosy is transmitted from person to person in long term contact. Studying the transmission dynamics is further complicated by inability to grow M. leprae in culture medium and lack of animal models. More than one family members were found to be affected by leprosy in some highly endemic pockets. This study reported the transmission pattern of leprosy in a family having 4 patients.Methodology/Principal findingsWe investigated the transmission of leprosy in a single family having 4 patients using microsatellite typing. DNA was isolated from slit skin smear samples taken from the patients and the isolated DNA were amplified using microsatellite loci TA11CA3. The amplified products were sequenced using Sanger’s sequencing methods and the copy number variation in the microsatellite loci between strains were elucidated by multiple sequence alignment. The result showed that all the 4 members of the family acquired infection from 3 different strains of M. leprae from 3 different sources. The elder and middle daughters were infected by same types of strains having the repeat unit TA13CA3 and could have acquired the infection from social contacts of leprosy cases while the father and younger daughter were infected by strains with the repeat unit TA12CA3 and TA11CA3 and could have acquired infection from social contacts.Conclusions/SignificanceThe study suggested that three family members viz, elder daughter, father and younger daughter could be infected by M. leprae from 3 different sources and the history of the disease and genetic analysis showed that the middle daughter acquired infection from her elder sister in due course of contact. This study implies that the transmission of leprosy not only occurred amongst the house hold members but also has been transmitted from social and neighborhood contacts in long term association with the them.
Highlights
Leprosy, known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae
Leprosy is still endemic in some pockets of India and new cases are being detected continuously signifying the active transmission of the disease
Understanding the transmission dynamics of leprosy is an indispensable element for appropriate intervention strategies for eradication of leprosy
Summary
Known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. In 2008, another species known as Mycobacterium lepromatosis was found to cause diffuse lepromatous leprosy (DLL) in human [1,2,3]. It is highly contagious, but its morbidity is low because a large portion of the population is naturally resistant to this disease. Symptoms can take as long as 20 years to appear after infection Such a long incubation period complicates early diagnosis of leprosy. This study reported the transmission pattern of leprosy in a family having 4 patients
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