Susceptibility and resistance in leprosy: Studies in the mouse model

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease caused by the pathogen, Mycobacterium leprae, and the more recently discovered, M. lepromatosis. Described in 1873, M. leprae was among the first microorganisms to be proposed as a cause of a human infectious disease. As an obligate intracellular...

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Published inImmunological reviews Vol. 301; no. 1; pp. 157 - 174
Main Author Adams, Linda B.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Subjects
Animal models
clofazimine
Genetic engineering
Germfree
Granuloma
Immunoregulation
Infectious diseases
interferon‐gamma
interleukin‐17
Invited Review
Invited Reviews
Leprosy
M. leprae
M. lepromatosis
Microorganisms
NOS2
interleukin-17
NOS2
clofazimine
M. leprae
interferon-gamma
M. lepromatosis
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Summary:Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease caused by the pathogen, Mycobacterium leprae, and the more recently discovered, M. lepromatosis. Described in 1873, M. leprae was among the first microorganisms to be proposed as a cause of a human infectious disease. As an obligate intracellular bacterium, it has still not thus far been reproducibly cultivated in axenic medium or cell cultures. Shepard's mouse footpad assay, therefore, was truly a breakthrough in leprosy research. The generation of immunosuppressed and genetically engineered mice, along with advances in molecular and cellular techniques, has since offered more tools for the study of the M. leprae–induced granuloma. While far from perfect, these new mouse models have provided insights into the immunoregulatory mechanisms responsible for the spectrum of this complex disease.
Bibliography:This article is part of a series of reviews covering Immunity to Mycobacteria appearing in Volume 301 of Immunological Reviews.
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ISSN:0105-2896
1600-065X
DOI:10.1111/imr.12960