title: Leprosy in a pregnant woman.
abstract: Herein, we describe a case of leprosy in a 29-year-old pregnant southeast-asian woman who presented with joint pain and multiple disseminated erythematous macules, papules and plaques. Histological examination and stains for acid-fast bacilli from skin biopsies substantiated the clinical suspicion of a cutaneous mycobacterial disease and both should be performed in all patients with unidentified skin lesions. The definitive laboratory diagnosis of leprosy was achieved by the application of a species-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction from infected tissue.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Böddinghaus
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Enzensberger
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gies
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kramme
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brade
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Brandt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology