Mycobacterium leprae
Mycobacterium leprae in Ziehl- Neelsen staining
Mycobacterium leprae, discovered in 1873 by the Norwegian Armauer Gerhard Hansen, is the causative agent of leprosy ( leprosy ), on the in the tropics are ill still very many people. The genome of this bacterium was completely sequenced in 2001.
The rod-shaped bacterium, 1-5 microns long, 0.2-0.8 microns thick, growing in macrophages and Schwann cells, forming tumors that lead to Gewebsauflösung in the face and extremities and destroy the nerves. Due to a high lipid content in the cell wall, it is very resistant to environmental influences. The reduplication is very slow and takes between two and three weeks. In culture media, the bacterium is not culturable.
Others
It is the only species of the genus Mycobacterium, which could be grown either in culture media or lifeless in cell cultures or the usual guinea pigs so far.
In addition to the people and immunocompromised rats and mice Armadillos are one of the few groups of mammals that can carry the bacteria of leprosy disease in itself.
This makes them difficult to dispense with the research into vaccines and new combinations of antibiotics. A correlation between the abnormally low body temperature, and the proliferation of mycobacteria in the armadillo is considered probable.