Mycobacterium leprae

When I began researching Mycobacterium leprae I knew very little about Leprosy and the information that I thought I knew was actually pretty inaccurate. There are a lot of rumors and theories about the disease and the actual route of transmission. If you are ever unfortunate to be plagued with this disease know that with the proper treatment and handled in a timely matter the long lasting effects will be kept to a minimum. This bacterium is an endospore and can stay dormant until the opportunity best presents itself to infect the host. Mycobacterium leprae has been around for thousands of years and was even mentioned in biblical times. Leprosy is also referred to as Hansen’s disease named after Gerhard Armauer Hansen, the first physician to closely study the causative agent. Mycobacterium leprae is a disease that mainly affects the skin and surface nerve cells of the infected individual. Mycobacterium leprae has a waxy mycolic layer that makes its cell impermeable to a simple gram stain. In order to stain the cell an acid-fast test must be done. In this test the bacteria is put through a series of stains using heat to drive the carbol fuschin and then the counter stain methylene blue into the cell. Acid fast organisms will retain the red and the non acid-fast will be blue when looked under a microscope using…

We all wish it was as simple as dipping in a river seven times a day for seven days. That is what Naaman did in the bile story. Leprosy is not new to this world but doctors have yet to make a vaccine for it. Although people are still suffering from leprosy, it is very curable. Although there is no vaccine for leprosy, however, vaccine again Tb called the BCG vaccine provides some protection from leprosy. Leprosy is cause by Mycobacterium leprae. Mycobacterium leprae is a slow-growing…

Bovine tuberculosis is an infectious disease mainly in livestock caused by Mycobacterium bovis and has had substantial economic impacts in the UK and worldwide. The primary organ targeted by M.bovis is the host lung and the bacterial infection is accompanied by a localized inflammation, resulting in the migration of different immune cells and leakage of serum proteins on the site of infection. Some of the first host molecules to be involved are collectins, which are soluble innate immune…

The Cause and Effects of Tuberculosis What are the cause and effects of tuberculosis? Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacterium. These bacteria mostly infect the lungs, but also they can infect the other parts of the body like the brain, spine, and kidney. (1,4) If the tuberculosis bacteria are active, they will cause the death of the tissue of organs that have been infected. Tuberculosis is one of a few diseases that "have caused so much distressing illness for centuries and claimed so…

synthase also has other targets that could be used as well such as the metal ion it binds to activate it. ATP synthase requires a proton gradient between inside and outside the membrane, therefore another target, which would not compete with a binding site. However the difficulty of a target such as this is, the specificity of any drug administered. As The mycobacterial ATP synthase bares much similarity with human ATP synthase, any therapies would need to be able to distinguish between human…

as supernatant.The supernatant was filtered through a .22 micron filter in order to extract phages. Since bacteria and other particles tend to be bigger than .22 microns, they would not fit through the filter, thus allowing only phages through. Mycobacterium smegmatis was then added to the supernatant in the amount of .5 mL. It was allowed to incubate for 5 days. After incubating, 1.4 mL of the enriched filtrate was pipetted into a microcentrifuge tube. This was done twice using the p1000. Both…

Design and Procedures: The examination of the population incorporated all verified incident cases of TB reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Tuberculosis Surveillance System (NTSS) for people dwelling in selected US urban communities from 2000 through 2007. Case reports including the demographic, clinical, and treatment data of patients with TB were submitted to NTSS by the local and state health departments. Cases of TB were considered to occur in a selected city…

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 TUBERCULOSIS Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is a major global health problem and it ranks alongside Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as a leading cause of death worldwide. According to the estimates of WHO global tuberculosis report of 2015, there were 9.6 million people who developed TB and 1.5 million who died from the disease in 2014. 1.2 TRANSMISSION AND PATHOGENESIS OF TB TB infection occurs when…

Name: Chelsy Oubre Causative Agent: Mycobacterium tuberculosis Disease: Tuberculosis (TB) Classification of the causative agent: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an Acid-fast Gram-positive bacteria History: M. tuberculosis is the leading cause of death with people that are infected with HIV. TB kills a 5000 people on a daily basis. Virulence factors of the causative agent: Mycobacterium tuberculosis enters the body then continues to the lungs. The bacteria while in the alveolar…

standing up inflicted pain. The patient did not recall any instance in which she strained or injured her spine lifting or any recent coughing episodes. The patient denies having a fever but stated she has had chills and headaches daily for at least a week. Patient stated she usually has intermittent headaches but recent headaches have been more severe and frequent. Patient denies any chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. There was no…