title: [Molecular epidemiology of the leprosy].
abstract: Application of molecular biological techniques to the epidemiological study of leprosy is described. Studies of detecting Mycobacterium leprae DNA in samples of the nasal mucus are discussed in terms of the epidemiology and the significance of high prevalence. Epidemiological studies on the transmission of leprosy and correlation between geographic distribution of different M. leprae rpoT genotypes and prehistoric spread of the leprosy by genotyping based on the genomic polymorphism are introduced.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Leprosy Research Center, 4-2-1, Aobacho, Higashimurayama, Tokyo, 189-0002, Japan. matsuoka@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Liangfen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015995:Prevalence; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012808:Sigma Factor; C414706:rpoT protein, Mycobacterium leprae