title: Current status of leprosy: epidemiology, basic science and clinical perspectives.
abstract: Leprosy has affected humans for millennia and remains an important health problem worldwide, as evidenced by nearly 250 000 new cases detected every year. It is a chronic infectious disorder, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, that primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Recent advances in basic science have improved our knowledge of the disease. Variation in the cellular immune response is the basis of a range of clinical manifestations. The introduction of multidrug therapy has significantly contributed to a decrease in the prevalence of the disease. However, leprosy control activities, including monitoring and prevention programs, must be maintained.
authors.affiliation: Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases Department of Dermatology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. koichis@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akama
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: Rie R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Yotsu
authors.forename: Norihisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishii
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003622:Dapsone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents; D003622:Dapsone